Return of the Overlord
by FirstFandomFangirl
Summary: THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL. Just when the ninja thought they were done with him, he came back. They have to find a way to defeat him before it's too late. But can they succeed in their quest before all of Ninjago is destroyed? Sequel to Return to the Cursed Realm. Morro X OC and Lloyd X OC.
1. Kai

**Hello loyal fans (Well, I assume you're a loyal fan if you're reading the second book)! I hope you read the first book first. Welcome to the second novel in the _ series! Still working on a series name haha... but anyway! Before we start, I think I'll just copy/paste some stuff from the first chapter of the first book. Oops, I can't. Well, I'll just repeat it then.**

 **1\. Like in the last book, there will be lots of OCs. There were a total of 14 in the first book (Including minor characters such as Supergem who only appeared in one chapter), and quite a few of them will return this book. I'll probably be needing a couple more, though. So if anyone has an OC they want me to put in, give me their basic info in a review or PM. If I like them, I'll use them. If not, I won't. I won't write gay/lesbian people, so don't give me any of those characters or I'll just ignore them. Also, if a character is overpowered (i.e. has fire, water, ice, lightning, earth, and shapeshifting powers and can fly and breath underwater) I will either A. Ignore them or B. Tone their powers down. Oh! And I forgot to add this earlier. If you already have an OC in/had one in the last book, please don't submit another okay thanks**

 **2\. I probably won't ship many OCs with canon characters. If you want to ship your character with someone else's OC (doesn't seem likely but hey might as well) you'll have to ask them. I will be shipping a few canon couples, which are Jaya, Kailor, and Garsako. I hope you know what those mean.**

 **3\. This story contains MAJOR spoilers for Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. If you haven't watched the show, you probably shouldn't read this. Though if you read the first book you probably know that.**

 **That seems to be all, so... on to the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 1

Kai Smith was the Red Ninja.

It was pretty much awesome. He was a _ninja_ , for starters. He could control FI-YAAH, do Spinjitzu (and Airjitzu), had awesome hair, and a whole bunch of other cool things. The best thing by far, though, was his family. Though the number of people who were actually related to him was small, he considered his fellow ninja his brothers as well. He loved them all so much, he couldn't imagine life without them. Out of all of them, though, he was probably the closest with Lloyd. Ever since he rescued the younger boy from the fire temple so long ago, he had felt a need to protect him. He needed it, what with everyone wanting to kill/kidnap him because he was the green ninja. Occasionally something bad would happen to them, like they would get pummelled by bad guys or something, but they always got through it. They were ninja. It was pretty rare that they found a problem they couldn't solve. Well, screaming fangirls could be an issue sometimes. But who could blame them? He was _so_ hot, after all. Fangirls didn't compare to a real girlfriend, though. Which was the reason he was running through these alleys in the first place. He had just gone on a date with Skylor, the beautiful red-haired master of Amber he had met at the Tournament of Elements. They had been stargazing and he had completely lost track of time. Now he was late getting home- and yes, he had a curfew. Not that it made any sense that he should have one. He was a _ninja_. Sheesh. So he was taking a shortcut through the worst part of the city. Not that it mattered what people here were like. If any punks tried to attack him, well, tough luck for them. Speaking of punks... Kai stopped short as he heard the clatter of a trash can falling on its side. He heard angry whispers a moment later and rolled his eyes. Whoever that was, they were seriously failing at being stealthy. He stepped into a shadow with a smirk. If they showed themselves, they would get quite a surprise. Suddenly, a black net flew out of an adjoining alley and fell on him, the sudden weight making his lose his balence and fall.

"...what?" he said out loud, struggling under the net. Trying to summon a fireball confirmed what he was afraid of: Venge-net. As he tried to get out from underneath it, two figures floated out from the alley the net had come from, Soul Archer and Wrayth.

"That was surprisingly easy." the chain master remarked as Kai struggled to find words.

"What- how are you here?!" the fire master sputtered. "You're supposed to be trapped in the Cursed Realm!"

"So was Morro." Soul Archer replied calmly, snapping a pair of Vengestone cuffs over Kai's wrists. "And he got out."

"Yeah, but he has an elemental dragon. Hey!" the fire ninja exclaimed as the net was pulled off him and Wrayth yanked him to his feet. "What are you doing with me?!"

"I don't think we should bother telling you." Soul Archer grabbed his arm and pulled him into the alley the two ghosts had emerged from. "Now will you come with us, or will we have to drag you?" Kai opened his mouth to give them a snarky retort, but Soul Archer interrupted by saying, "And don't forget that you can't touch either of us and your elemental powers are useless." Kai paused for a few moments before sighing and settling for glaring at them silently instead. "Good. And remember this as well." the bow master nocked an arrow to his bow, holding it there but not stretching it tight to fire. "I will shoot you if I have too, though I think our master would prefer you human."

""Master"?" Kai smirked. "The high-and-mighty Soul Archer has a master?"

"Shut up." was the ghost's only reply. Kai rolled his eyes but didn't speak as Wrayth grabbed his arm and began to lead/drag him down the alley. In truth, the fire master was a bit worried. He didn't see any way out of this, and there didn't seem to be a way for him to contact the other ninja for help. After about a minute of walking, the two ghosts pulled him into a building. Once inside the large room – it looked like some sort of warehouse – Kai blinked in the dim light for a few moments before he saw a figure he recognised.

"Chen?!" he blinked a couple times to make sure he was seeing correctly. "H-how did you all get out?!" Turning to the ghosts holding him, the fire ninja asked with a frown, "So your master is Chen, huh? Should'a guessed."

"Actually no." Chen answered his question, standing up from the table he had been sitting on underneath the lone light in the building. "We all work for him." the former noodle tycoon gestured to a figure standing in the darkness behind him and Kai squinted to try and make them out. When the figure stepped into the circle of light cast by the light on the ceiling, Kai's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no."

* * *

 **It really shouldn't be too hard to guess who that is.**

 **Okay! So, the ninja are up to doing question answers again. But if you have any questions for Kai, you better hurry up. I think he's in trouble...**

 **also HAPPY VALENTINES DAY and ENJOY THE KAI VALENTINE THAT'S THE COVER OF THE BOOK!**

 **~FFF**


	2. Turned

**Wowo! That's... that's a lot of OCs. Can tem... really accepts? Okay! Tem write fanfiction and make you proud!**

 **Undertale reference FTW**

 **Review replies:**

 **ADWC: Cool! I got quite a few OC applications, so it's possible she won't appear... but she most likely will. :)**

 **wildgirlN: Hi Ally! I don't even know if you're gonna read this (probable not) But yeah. I'M NOT GAY FOR ANY OF YOOOU**

 **Windy: I'm glad you're so excited. ^ ^ It's too bad you can only read on Sundays, but I guess then you can read quite a bit of it at a time. Happy Valentines day to you too! :D Lloyd, Morro, Indigo, and Jessica are some of the main characters in this story. I'm glad you ship Morro and Indigo so much. You're their biggest supporter (other than me). ^ ^ I don't know if there will be a chance to put any Garsako fluff in, unfortunately. But hey, I have really no good idea where the story's headed, so... idk. Heh. But there is an author on here by the name of LadyMarissaGarmadon who writes LOTS and LOTS of it. She's currently writing a series of 100 oneshots for the couple. ^ ^ I really hope you can get a fanfiction account soon!**

 **Angel: No, don't leave! :C You were so excited for the sequel at the end of the last book... :( Yeah... Morro would be an amazing friend to have in real life. I have no real friends that are anything like him...**

 **Breana: Cool OC, except... blood? That's a... intresting element to have. And I'm not entirely sure I'm comfortable writing it. It's kinda creepy. Would it be alright for me to make her without an element?**

 **KRR: That's 3 OCs you've given me so far. I'll probably only use one. Not sure if it'll be Kayson, Tylor, or Zaya. By the way, is Stan still obsessed with me?**

 **Nurse Medusa: Ooh, she's cool! So, she's ace/aro? Wow... lots of OCs have no parents... I guess it makes it easier for them to join the ninja's adventures. XD If I decide to put Rei in, I'll let you know, but I don't need any info on her for now.**

 **Samantha: Yes. Being cautious is a good idea. My stories are unpredictable and dangerous.**

 **Petal: Finally, someone makes a ghost OC! Heh. I'll probably use her. ^ ^**

 **Ghost Queen: Yeah... I don't think that's gonna happen... *sneaks away quietly***

 **Count Raptor: Indeed.**

 **Also Leb, whenever you get around to reading this, I HAVE started watching Star Wars. ;)**

 **So, I got LOTS of OC applications... and I can't promise everyone will show up... and probably quite a few OCs from the last book with show up... so... eh idk. Sorry if your character doesn't show up/reappear. Also Kai's here to answer questions at the BEGINNING of the chapter for reasons that I refuse to tell anyone.**

 **Kai: Hey.  
Me: Okay, so, first question is from Windy, and it's "Are you getting something for Skylor for Valentine's day?"  
Kai: The answer is yes, I am and I did. I gave her chocolates and a red headband to match mine.  
Me: Full of yourself much?  
Kai: Huh?  
Me: Nevermind. There's one more question, and it's: "How many fangirls would you say you have?"  
Kai: Definitely lots and lots. But hey, who can blame them? I am _so_ hot, after all.  
Me: You said that last chapter. Have fun with the Overlord!  
Kai: Wait, what?!  
**

* * *

Chapter 2

Kai gaped in shock as the Overlord stepped out of the darkness. He was _alive_?! How was that possible?! They had killed him – twice! Not only that, but he was in his human form, like he had been in when he was the Golden Master. How had he kept it? Had they even killed him at all?!

"You look surprised to see me." the creature of darkness rasped, his features twisting into a malicous grin. "I expected that."

"H-how are you alive?!" Kai stammered, too shocked to do anything else. "We killed you! Zane sacrificed his life to kill you!"

"He got it back, though, I heard. Unfortunate." the Overlord linked his hands behind his back, his smile fading. "It would have been nice to have him out of the way. But that's besides the point. I suppose you want to know who you're here?"

"What are the odds of you telling me?" Kai raised an eyebrow with a cocky smile.

"Higher if you don't ask stupid questions."

"What's you definition of a stupid question?"

"That."  
"Wow, you have weird definations."

"Alright then, I won't tell you." The Overlord turned away and snapped his fingers. "Bansha! Bring the dark matter!" the fire master's eyes widened as the female ghost emerged from the shadows, carrying a tray of the dangerous substance. "I assume you know what this is for?" The Overlord asked, turning back to him with a nasty glint in his eye. Kai didn't asnswer. He had already ruined his chances of possibly hearing the Overlord's plans – trying to act tough had kinda backfired on him – and saying anything more would probably just land him in more trouble. He had a pretty good idea of what the fiends were going to do with him, though. Back during the first battle with the Overlord, Cole, Kai, and Zane had all been hit by the Dark Matter, turning them evil. He had luckily escaped such a fate at the time, but it didn't look like he'd be so lucky this time. He had to flee before he was infected. Jerking backwards, Kai yanked his wrists away from Wrayth and bolted for the exit. He hated to just run away from a fight, but he had to warn the other ninja. Suddenly, one of Soul Archer's arrows struck the ground by his foot and he tripped, startled. "Throw it!" he heard the Overlord snarl. Kai rolled over just in time to see a dark purple projectile fly towards him and hit the ground a foot away.

"HA! You MISSED!" the fire ninja exclaimed triumphantly, a grin lighting up his face. The Overlord only smirked.

"Did I?" he asked. Kai's smile vanished as he noticed the effect of the dark matter spreading outwards, creeping towards him like a deadly shadow.

"Oh no." was the last thing he managed before the shadow consumed him.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

The inhabitents of the Garmadon Monastery were eating breakfast the next morning when Lloyd Garmadon entered the dining room, blinking sleepily.

"You're up late." His mother, Misako remarked as he sat down at his place at the table.

"The sun only came up an hour ago." the green ninja frowned. "How is that late?"

"We're ninja. We get up at sunrise." Jay Walker replied with a goofy grin.

"We're not _all_ ninja." Indigo interjected from the other side of the table. "But, yep, you were late, Lloyd."

"Gimme a break, alright? I was up late reading." the blond teenager glanced around the table before saying, "Well, I'm not the latest one, at least. Kai's still not up."

"Yeah." Cole Bucket nodded. "Lloyd, I nominate you to go get him."

"Fine." the green ninja pushed his chair back and left the room. A minute later, arriving at his friend's besroom, he knocked on the door loudly. "Kai! Time to get up!" he called inside. No reply. Huh. Lloyd knocked again. "Kai, wake up." Since there was still no answer, he eased the door open and peeked inside. "Kai?" The bed was empty. Why wasn't he there? Confused, the green ninja walked slowly back to the dining room. "He's not there." he announced.

"I don't think he ever came back from his date with..." Morro paused. "Skylyn?"

"Skylor." Zane Roberts corrected. "And you're right. I hope nothing's happened to him."

"He probably just was there too late and stayed at Skylor's house." Nya Smith, Kai's sister, shrugged. "I'll go call her." the water ninja left the room as Lloyd sat down at the table and poured himself a bowl of cereal. A couple minutes later, Nya returned with a frown on her face. "Skylor says Kai left last night. Late last night, but still. He should have gotten here long ago."

"Look!" Anna Kemmin, one of Sensei Wu's four younger students, pointed out the window to a figure that was sauntering up to the monastery. Lloyd swallowed his bite of cereal before standing up and going to the window. It was Kai, alright. The fire ninja let himself in the front door and walked into the dining room with a yawn.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late. Stayed up too late at Skylor's and fell asleep on my feet. What's for breakfast?" Lloyd rolled his eyes. Typical Kai.

"Cereal. Cole answered the fire ninja's question after a moment. "And since you got here, uh, really late, you're probably grounded.

"You can't ground me from being a ninja!" Kai crossed his arms.

"I can't, but Sensei Wu can."

"Yeah, where is Wu, anyway? Slept in even longer than me?" Lloyd frowned slightly at Kai's use of Sensei's first name, rather than his title, but shook it off.

"He is meditating, not sleeping.." Sensei Garmadon, Lloyd's father, spoke up. "He'll be here in a few minutes."

"Great. In the meantime, I'll get myself something to eat. All that walking I did this morning made me hungry." Kai plopped down in an empty seat and poured himself some sugary cereal. Lloyd sat down as well. Kai's behavior seemed slightly odd, but maybe he was just overreacting. It was probably nothing, after all.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Come on Jay, you can do better than that!" Kai taunted as he blocked another strike from Jay. Due to Kai's lateness at coming back from his date, Sensei had ordered him to train the entire morning. He was currently sparring with Jay, who seemed a bit overwhelmed. Lloyd frowned from the side of the room, where he was watching the two fight. Instead of using a wooden katana like usual, Kai was using one with a sharp, steel blade. And he wasn't playing easy, either. It almost seemed like he _wanted_ to hurt Jay, who was being forced back as he struggled to block Kai's blows. As they neared the edge of the training mat, Jay fell over with an abrupt yelp of pain. Undettered, Kai lifted his blade as though to strike.

"Kai, stop!" Lloyd shouted, jumping to his feet and running over. Kai – reluctantly, it seemed – lowered his sword as Jay droppped his nunchuks and grabbed his shoulder. As Lloyd approached the blue ninja, he saw blood beginning to stain the fabric on the shoulder of Jay's gi. "Look what you did!" the green ninja frowned at Kai as he helped the injured Jay to his feet.

"Well _sorry_." Kai frowned back. "It's not my fault he's too slow to dodge my attacks."

"Excuse me?!" Jay exclaimed as he leaned on Lloyd. "You- what were you trying to do?! Take my arm off?!"

"Jay! Are you alright?" Nya ran over as Kai shrugged boredly. "Come on. Misako can patch you up." The water ninja led her boyfriend away and Lloyd watched them for a moment before turning back to Kai, who looked indifferent.

"What's wrong with you this morning, Kai?" the green ninja folded his arms as Kai turned to face him.

"It's none of your buisness." Kai replied harshly, glaring at the younger ninja.

"What do you mean it's none of my buisness?" Lloyd frowned. "You and Jay are my brothers. Of course you're my buisness."

"Yeah, well, you're not the boss of me, so don't lecture me." Kai snapped before walking away out of the room. Lloyd stared after him, hurt. What was making his act like this? Something was very his brother. And he had to find out what.

* * *

 **Cue everyone staring at me in confused silence.**

 **Welp, live long and prosper, chums! Until next chapter!**

 **~FFF**


	3. Revealed

**Me: Also if ppl wanna insert their OCs that's fine with me...  
Just about everyone: OOOH OOH OOH ME I HAVE AN OC  
Me: what**

 **So yeah... I've got a ton of OC applications... not sure what do to with them all...**

 **Review replies:**

 **Nurse Medusa: xD yeah. Hmm, yes, we need more evil OCs.**

 **Breana: That is an original element - I've never seen an OC with that power before - but it's just a bit too... I don't know what a good word for it is.**

 **KRR: HEY! Be nice to my characters! You'll scare them off! Must I hit you with my fanfiction again? It's not as big this time because as of now it's only 5 chapters, but still. Ally is rather indifferent, it appears. All she said was "Rip".**

 **Samantha: All will be revealed in time, my dear reader... Also, do you mean the Shadelings?**

 **Leb: All will be revealed... ;) AHH ALL THE STAR WARS QUESTIONS yIKES Okay. 1) Yes. 2) Quite a bit. It's very intresting. 3) I have watched 4 and 5 so far, and the next one I watch will most likely be 6. I would have watched them in order starting at the prequels, but my Mom got the 4th out of the library first, so that's the one I watched. 4) Like I already mentioned, the next one I watch will most likely be 6. I'm not sure if I'll watch the 7th one after that, or do the prequels first. Which would you suggest? 5) Mmm... Han Solo. Though I know he dies eventually, sooooo... yeah. 6) A woodchuck would chuck all he could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood! 7) Most likely. 8) I don't know what that is, but I'll probably watch it too. 9) I don't even think that's a question... xD 10)Also not a question. Somehow I am not surprised by the Star Wars-themed OCs. xD I'll do my best to put them in, but currently I can't think of a place to put them... ooh, wait, I have an idea for a one-shot now. ^ ^**

 **Starry: Wow, that sounds like my reaction when I figured out that Ninjago Season 6 was out... xD I'm so glad you love this so much! I like your OC. ^ ^ I think she's outta luck with Kai, though...**

 **Petal: You're welcome. :)**

 **Okay that was a lot of review replies. Anyway! Have a chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 3

Lloyd woke up to the soft squeak of his room door opening. Confused, he opened his eyes, blinking in the dim, light that flowed through the window. Why was someone in his room? It was the middle of the night! He sat up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, to see Kai in the process of trying to sneak towards him.

"Kai?" Lloyd whispered, since he didn't want to bother anyone nearby with a loud voice. "What are you doing in my room? And why do you have a rope?" he added a moment later, noticing the coil of thick rope over his brother's arm.

"I, uh..." Kai looked like a rat caught in a trap. "...I don't know... um... I was gonna try to play a prank on you, but then you woke up."

"I'm a _ninja_ , Kai. I'm a light sleeper." Lloyd pushed the blanket on his bed off himself, now fully awake. "We could go play a prank on someone else." the younger ninja suggested.

"Maybe." Kai shrugged, glancing over at a desk covered with various awards Lloyd had been given for... well, various green-ninja related things. Taking a step towards it, Kai picked up one of them, a tall, solid gold trophy. "Where'd you get this?" he asked, turning to Lloyd with the trophy in hand.

"I don't know." the blond boy shrugged, sliding off his bed and walking over. "What does it say on-" he never got a chance to finish his sentence, as Kai abruptly swung the trophy at his head. Reflexively, Lloyd jerked away, out of the trophy's path. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "What was that for?!"

"Don't resist." Kai snarled in reply. Lloyd blinked in surprise at the fire ninja's voice, which sounded... dark. Evil. Dangerous. Lloyd jumped back as Kai took another swing at him, landing in a defensive stance.

"What are you doing? Why are you attacking me?!" Lloyd demanded as Kai stepped forward, one of his hands catching on fire.

"My orders are to bring you back to base." Kai replied, using the same cold, angry voice as before. "And I mean to carry them out."

"What orders?! Who told you to do this?!" Lloyd sidestepped a fireball, which luckily didn't set anything on fire. It occurred to him then that he should probably call for help, so he did. "Everyone, wake up!" he yelled as loud as he could. "Kai's attacking me!"

"I _said_ , don't resist!" Kai growled, throwing another fireball. "And if you must know, my commander is the Overlord."

" _What?!_ " Lloyd barely dodged Kai's next attack as his mind whirled. "That's impossible! He's dead!"

"You can't _kill_ the Overlord." Kai rolled his eyes, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "What, you don't believe me? Well maybe this will convince you." A moment later, Kai's appearance changed. His tanned skin faded to pale grey and his hair darkened, paling as well. His eyes, however, turned purple. Glowing purple. Lloyd stepped back in shock, almost tripping over something on the floor. That was obviously the effect of dark matter. And the Overlord was the only one he knew of who had access to it. It was true, then. The Overlord _was_ alive.

"Guys, wake up! Help!" the green ninja shouted again as Kai chuckled at his shock.

"Wow, you took that hard. Hopefully you'll take this hard, too." the fire ninja stepped forward and swung the trophy again. Lloyd, his reflexes impaired by his shock and fear, dodged too late, and the gold crashed into his head with a _slam_. Wait... Lloyd realized as he crumpled to the ground, stars flashing in front of his eyes. That sound wasn't from the trophy hitting him, it was from the door of his room.A moment later, he heard an angry shout from Kai, and blinked the stars away to see Jay and Zane pinning the fire ninja to the ground. Hands touched Lloyd's arms, pulling him to his feet, before he heard Morro's voice.

"Are you alright?" the ghost asked. Lloyd nodded blinking a couple more times to clear his vision as Morro set him down on his bed.

"Get off me!" Kai snarled, struggling underneath the white and blue ninja.

"Uh, no." Jay winced as Kai grabbed his injured shoulder and tried to throw him off. "You just tried to, like, kill Lloyd or something. Zane, give me a hand with him."

"He says the Overlord's alive." Lloyd lifted a hand to his forehead to feel a bruise forming where Kai had hit him. "And I think he's telling the truth."

"It certainly looks that way." Zane said grimly, finally managing to snatch the trophy from Kai.

"You can't stop us!" Kai yelled, struggling violently. "Ninjago will fall to the Overlord's alliance!"

"The Overlord has allies? Great. That just makes him more dangerous." Lloyd muttered. "Who's he allied with, Kai?"

"I'm not telling you anything." Kai stopped struggling, evedently realizing that he was beaten.

"You already told us something." Jay pointed out.

"What's going on?" Lloyd looked over to see his father standing in the doorway, Sensei Wu and Cole standing behind him.

"Uhh... the Overlord's back and he somehow infected Kai with dark matter and Kai attacked Lloyd and the Overlord's allied with someone but we don't know who!" Jay explained in one breath.

"Are you alright, son?" Lloyd's father asked worriedly, eying the dark bruise on the blond boy's forehead.

"Mostly." Lloyd shrugged. "Kai hit me pretty hard."

"Good to hear." Kai muttered. Lloyd frowned. It was... unnerving, Kai being like this. It hurt to have his best friend act so cold and unfeeling. This, Lloyd realized, must be how Kai must have felt when Lloyd was possessed by Morro.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Cole asked. "We obviously can't let him go, and there isn't exactly a prison in the monastery."

"There's a deepstone cell in the Bounty." Jay pointed out. "We can put him in there."

"Yeah, but first we need some Vengestone to put on him so he can't escape with his powers." Lloyd reminded them, rubbing his aching head. "Anyone?"

"I'm sure we can get hold of some soon," Sensei spoke up. "But for now he needs to be under constant surveillance."

"Hah. You'd do better to just let me go." Kai sneered. "The Overlord can see through my eyes and hear through my hears. As long as you keep me here, I'm just a spy for him."

"Correction. He needs to be under constant surveillance, far away from where we'll be making any plans." Sensei corrected himself. Kai scowled. Evidently that wasn't the result he was trying to get.

"Right. Cole, go wake everyone else up. This can't wait until morning. We need to prepare for the Overlord's attack." Cole nodded at Lloyd's instruction and ran off through the wall to wake up the rest of the monastery.

* * *

 **Cue everybody staring at me in silence again. ALL WILL BE EXPLAINED, DEARIES~ *runs off to hide from KRR***

 **Lloyd: Also, in case you're interested, now you can ask EVIL Kai questions!  
Morro: Whee.  
**

 **~FFF**


	4. Plots

**Foof... sorry for random absence. Stuff happened. And I'm almost out of time today, too, so I won't be able to do review replies if I want to be able to answer questions... sorry. :/**

* * *

Chapter 4

"We have no idea what the Overlord's plans are, or when he's going to attack." Lloyd glanced around the dining room, in which most of the residents of the Monastery were listening silently. Zane and Cole had been elected to guard Kai in the Bounty, when was parked in the basement of the Monastery, but everyone else (even Sara) were gathered around the table that Lloyd sat at the head of. "We'll need to contact all of our allies," Lloyd continued. "The Elemental Masters, the Serpentine,-"

"We don't know if they'll help us." Jay pointed out. "Remember back last time we fought the Overlord? They didn't help us then."

"They did, actually, at the end. And they helped us again when we fought Chen and his Anacondri." Lloyd paused. "Do you think that's who the Overlord's allied with? Chen?"

"It's a definite possibility." Lloyd's father agreed.

"Yeah. He said we hadn't seen the last of him, remember?" Gin Nozomi, the Garmadons' adopted daughter, spoke up.

"He can't do much, though." Morro mused. "He should be trapped in the Cursed Realm, he's not an Anacondri anymore, and he no longer has Clouse to cast spells for him."

"He can cast spells." Gin frowned.  
"He can?" Lloyd asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Who do you think taught Clouse?" the young Elemental Master shrugged.

"Good point." Lloyd nodded. "Speaking of Clouse, we should contact him and Tara too."

"What about Ming?" Nya asked.

"I don't know..." Lloyd frowned. "I think she's a bit too young."

"She's barely younger than me." Indigo pointed out. "And I'm not sitting this one out."

"She's probably insist on coming anyway." Nya pointed out. "After all, Tara is her best friend."

"Well, we'll see." Lloyd shrugged.

"Do you think we can get the Shadelings to help?" Morro asked.

"What's a "Shadeling"?" Sensei Wu asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"It's... kinda like a human-dragon hybrid." Lloyd shrugged. "There's a tribe of them living in the woods behind the monastery. Morro and I met them a few months ago."

"And you didn't _tell_ us?" Jay looked offeneded.

"Their leader said they "prefered to stay hidden"." Morro explained. "Lloyd and I didn't want to betray her trust by telling people of their existance."

"Her?" Jay asked.

"The queen of the tribe, Ni." Morro clarified.

"Ah," Sensei nodded. "There's no gauruntee, then, that they will help, since they want to stay hidden."

"Yeah, I know." the blond ninja nodded. "But it's worth a shot."

"Who else d''you think will help us?" Jay asked.

"Kayson and Alex? If we can find them, that is." Nya thought out load. "They both kinda vanished after the whole fisaco a few months ago." Lloyd nodded. He had wondered what had happened to those two. Maybe if they were lucky they would someday come across them again.

"What about Jessica?" Lloyd snapped out of his thoughts as Jay made the suggestion.

"I... I don't think so." the green ninja shook his head. "She spent a year away from home. I think she should stay out of this." he looked up from the table to see his father giving him a knowing smile.

"Yeah, but she's a capable fighter." Jay continued, oblivious to Lloyd's sudden change in mood. "We could use someone of her skill."

"I agree." Morro nodded. "Plus, she's a daredevil. She could be a ninja if she wanted to."

"Alright." Lloyd relented. He would never tell any of the others this, but he thought he might have a crush on the daredevil girl. The only one who knew about it – he hoped – was his father. Though, the other ninja had a knack for figuring out things he tried to hide. Especially Kai. Kai... Lloyd's face fell as he thought about the turned fire ninja. What had happened to him? How had the Overlord caught him off guard? How was the Overlord even alive? Kai had said you couldn't kill him... why?

"Lloyd?" Nya's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking." the green ninja shook his head to clear his mind.

"Once we do get allies, what thaen?" Lloyd's mom spoke up.

"We need to find the Overlord," Lloyd replied, "And whoever he's allied with."

"That could take forever!" Jay complained.

"Yes, unless we can get something out of Kai..." the blond boy mused. "Though, if he's being directly controlled by the Overlord..."

"I don't think so." Lloyd's father shook his head. "Kai referred to the Overlord as his commander, right?"

"Yeah." Lloyd nodded.

"I don't think the Overlord would have referred to himself as such. He would have just gone out and said who he was. Also, when he possessed me, he spoke in his own voice, not mine. Kai, however, spoke in his own voice."

"When I possess people," Morro interjected, "I can choose to use their voice or my own. It's possible that the same goes for the Overlord."

"Which reminds me!" Jay spoke up. "How did Kai pretend to be normal? I mean, his skin is grey and his eyes are purple. How did he look like his normal self?"

"Good point." Lloyd frowned. "It's possible he-" the green ninja was cut off by a shout from underneath them. "Uh oh."

"Meeting adjourned!" Jay announced before dashing off towards the stairs.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"So we lost Kai..." Soul Archer muttered, pacing back and forth.

"I wouldn't say "lost"." Master Chen shrugged. "He's in the ninja's home now. He's our spy."

"But, of course, he was stupid enough to _tell_ them that." Soul Archer paused his pacing to glare at the former noodle tycoon.

"Quiet, both of you." the Overlord hissed from a few feet away. "Kai is strong. Almost as strong as the green ninja. He could escape if I told him to."

"You do not want him to escape?" Soul Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. You remember that his original mission was to capture the green ninja?" the dark lord turned to face his cohorts, his purple eyes glowing unnervingly. When the bow-wielding ghost nodded, he continued. "Lloyd is too strong. He was startled when Kai attacked him, and Kai almost succeeded because of it, but this time we have lost the element of surprise. We will have to get the boy some other way."

"Remind me why we need him again?" Chen asked with a frown.

"He is the leader of the ninja, and the most powerful of the elemental masters. Once he is gone – or on our side – the team will fall apart and the rest of Ninjago will fall to us easily." the Overlord replied, calmly meeting the red-haired man's eyes.

"Well, if you want him, you could set a trap for him." Chen suggested. "It worked with my Tournament of Elements."

"A trap would require bait." Soul Archer pointed out.  
"His little love intrest, prehaps?" the Overlord mused, closing his eyes as he contacted the captive fire ninja telepathically.

"He has a girlfriend?" Chen asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Not exactly. Kai told me about her." the dark lord replied. "The green ninja has been trying to keep it a secret, since he doesn't know if she returns his affections, but he failed."

"Nah, capturing girls is far too cliche." Chen shook his head.

"Does it matter?" Soul Archer asked flatly.

"Of _course_! Dramatic flair is everything when it comes to setting traps!" Chen started at the ghost with genuine surprise. "You didn't _know_ that?"

"Well who _should_ we bait the trap with, then?" Soul Archer asked irritably, ignoring Chen's last comment.

"We could bring Kai back and threaten to kill him if Lloyd doesn't give himself up." Chen suggested.

"No," the Overlord spoke up. "They would probably just deduce that they would kill him anyway. And besides, that trap is too obvious. Better for us to take one of them and have them try to stage a rescue."

"We could just take the girl, if this idiot weren't so obsessed with drama." Soul Archer muttered.

"Hey! Who are you calling an idiot?!" Chen demanded. The threee villains continued to plot/bicker, oblivious to the fact that Bansha hovered nearby, watching them silently. She was kind of at war with herself. Her loyalties were supposed to lie with her commander, Soul Archer, and his allies, but, deep inside her... she really wanted to help Morro. She wasn't sure why. Though she had manipulated him and tricked him into hurting his friends the last time they had met, he had forgiven her nonetheless. Why? He had even said he didn't want to fight her. Again, why?

"Hey, I know who we can use as bait!" Chen spoke up brightly. "Morro!" Bansha blinked as she processed the infromation.

"Good idea." Soul Archer nodded. "Not only is he close with the green ninja, but I have a... personal grudge against him. It will be fun to have him as my prisoner." the ghost archer grinned under his mask..

"More importantly, he's very powerful." the Overlord added. "He beat Lloyd in a one-on-one fight. We can corrupt him and use him as our weapon." Bansha frowned at the Overlord's referring to her friend as an object, an advantage.

"Do you think Kai can bring him back here, then?" Chen asked. "Like you said, he's powerful, and he has the advantage of being able to go through things."

"Good point." the Overlord nodded. "Bansha, Wrayth, go get Morro and bring him back here."

"W-what?!" Bansha stuttered, surprised.

"Go get Morro and bring him back here." the dark lord repeated himself. "Is there a problem?"

"Uh... no." the female ghost composed herself, shaking her head. "Sorry sir."

"I don't care how you do it, just get him back here. Soon." the Overlord turned away as if bored. "Now go."

"Right. Yes sir." she snapped her fingers and Wrayth followed her as she floated out of the hideout and towards the ninja's home.

* * *

 **WOW, Overlord, nice evil plots.**

 **Me: Congratulations, Kai, people have questions for you!  
Dark Kai: I DON'T WANT QUESTIONS. I WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS STUPID JAIL CELL. I HATE ALL OF YOU!  
Me: Good to hear. Okay, first question is from Breana. Her question is "What did you do to the REAL Kai?!"  
Dark Kai: I REFUSE TO ANSWER ANY QUE-  
Me: ...  
Dark Kai: Okay fine. I AM the real Kai. I'm just... _improved_...  
Me: Somehow I don't think Lloyd will agree.  
Lloyd: What's going on?  
Me: Shh. Next question for Kai is from NinjaMelissa... and it's not really a question either. It's more of a plea. "** **KAI FIGHT THE OVERLORD'S POWER! PLZ DO IT FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"  
Dark Kai: NEVER! I prefer myself THIS way!  
Lloyd: Though that's just the effect of the Dark Matter...  
Me: I wonder if good Kai is even here...  
Lloyd: Couldn't you turn him back if you wanted to?  
Me: I suppose. But that wouldn't be any fun at all, would it?  
Lloyd: ...  
Me: What?!  
Lloyd: ...  
Me: Okay, that's all the questions solely for Kai. The next question is from Samantha, for all the ninja. "Do you all have little nicknames for each other because you should."  
Cole: Jay is Zaptrap, and Zane is Tin-can, but I don't have nicknames for Lloyd or Kai.  
Dark Kai: Whew.  
Cole: What?!  
Zane: I do not have nicknames... I prefer to call my teammates by their real names.  
Jay: Cole is Dirtclod, Kai is hothead, Zane is Nindroid and Lloyd...  
Lloyd: *death glare*  
Jay: ...I have a nickname for Lloyd but he doesn't like it... heheh...  
Dark Kai: I refuse to tell you anything.  
Lloyd: Geez, Kai... And I don't have any nicknames for them either. Sorry.  
Me: Oh, and Jay, Samantha says "I forgot about your injury! Sorry about what EVIL Kai did. Lots of love, bro! :-)"  
Jay: Aww, thanks...  
Evil Kai: ...everyone's glaring at me for some reason.  
Me: Don't look at me. I don't know why.  
Lloyd: YES YOU DO!  
Ni: SHADELING SSSTAB EVIL KAI!  
Me: NO! NO STABBING!  
Ni: YESSS**

 **~FFF**


	5. Interrogation

**Hey everyone! Lloyd here. FFF would have posted this, but she's busy bashing her haters. So yeah. She wrote the review replies, though.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Breana: Bait, a weapon, etc. Evil-bad-guy type things.**

 **KRR: I hope you're not suicidal in real life... Ally's like that...**

 **Starry/Kloey: Ohh... you're in trouble. xD I really like Kloey's name. It's very original. :3**

 **Count Raptor: Lol I don't think they're going to trust you. But we'll see.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Kai – or, infected Kai, at least – stood in the corner of the deepstone prison cell, glaring defiantly at his captors with his arms crossed. His escape attempt had been foiled by Cole, who had called the others as soon as he had tried to escape. Once they had restrained him and the chaos had settled down, Lloyd and the others had decided to try and interrogate the (former?) red ninja. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working. He was just too stubborn. For what seemed like the millionth time, Lloyd asked,

"Who is the Overlord allied with?"

"I'm not telling you anything." Kai huffed angrily. "Seriously, you've been asking me the same things for almost an hour. You can't be stupid enough to think I'll change my mind about telling you, can you?" Lloyd frowned but didn't answer.

"When are they going to attack?" was his next question. Kai didn't bother replying, except for an annoyed sigh. The green ninja tried again. "Is there any way to turn you back?"

"Not that I know of, string bean." Kai muttered boredly. The fire ninja was showing a surprising amount of emotion for being infected with dark matter. All Lloyd remembered of the others who were infected was that they were creepy-looking, cruel, and wanted to hurt him. Then again, they weren't trapped in a prison cell with nothing to do. And they weren't Kai. Last question.

"How did you change your appearence?" No reply. Kai just gave him a consending stare before turning away to look at the wall.

"It's not gonna work, Lloyd." Jay pointed out on the other side of the room. "He's not gonna tell us anything."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out on my own." Lloyd sighed. "Who's next to guard him?"

"Nya and I." Gin replied.

"Alright." Lloyd nodced, running a hand through his hair. "Zane and Cole should be filled in on what we talked about..."

"I'll do it." Jay volunteered.

"Alright." the green ninja nodded in thanks. "Everyone else, we should probably have breakfast."

"Okay." Zane agreed as most of them filed out of the room. As Lloyd followed them out into the hall, Morro slowed down ahead of him to keep pace with the younger ninja.

"Are you alright?" the ghost asked. Lloyd hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

"Not really. Kai's..." he paused, uncontiously rubbing the bruise on his forehead. "...change is bothering me."

"It's bothering all of us." Morro nodded. "You're not badly hurt, are you?"

"I don't think so."

"Good." They walked in silence for a few moments more. "How do you feel about the Overlord's involvement?"

"Scared." the green ninja confessed. "You know how afraid of him I am..."

"I do." Morro stopped walking and Lloyd did the same as the ghost put an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry. The other ninja and I will protect you. I won't let him touch you." Lloyd smiled at the promise and Morro returned it. "Come on." Morro let his arm slide off Lloyd's shoulders and started walking again. "You should eat something to keep your strength up." Lloyd opened his mouth to say that he was fine, but Morro's words made a pang of hunger go through him. Huh. After a moment, the blond ninja followed his friend up the stairs into the monastery.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"I'm bored." Wrayth muttered grumpily. Bansha shot him an annoyed look before turning back to the monastery and trying to see through the windows with her binoculars.

"You're an elite soldier, Wrayth. Stop complaining." she berated him as he sighed loudly.

"But the sun just came up! And unless he comes outside – _alone_ – and goes far enough away from the monastery, there's no hope of us capturing him!" Wrayth complained. "Not until at least tonight!"

"Then we stay here until then. Seriously, you're acting like a child. How long has it been since you've gone on a mission?"

"A really long time." the male ghost muttered in reply, sitting down behind a tree that grew on the hill, which overlooked the monastery.

"Well get your game together. Though we should be fine up here, if we're caught then the mission is lost."

"Fine." Wrayth muttered, leaning against the tree. "It's better than being back at the base, anyway. There I have to listen to those three meglomaniacs make their evil plans."

"Yeah, I don't trust the Overlord either." After a moment, the blade master turned to her partner and asked, "Do you trust Soul Archer?"

"Of course." Wrayth replied immidiently. "He's our General. Why wouldn't I trust him?" Bansha didn't answer. "...do you not trust him?" the chain master asked after a moment.

"I don't entirely trust his judgement." she replied. "How do we know the Overlord will hold up his end of the bargain? What if he betrays us and traps us in the Cursed Realm again once we conquer Ninjago?"

"To be honest, I have the same concerns." Wrayth looked over, meeting her eyes. "Even if he lets us stay here, what if he infects us like he did Ghoultar? Can you even think for yourself in that state?"

"I don't know." Bansha sighed, shaking her head as she was reminded of why he was here in the first place. Though they were on opposite sides, she liked Morro, and didn't want him to be hurt. Wrayth frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she said, quickly looking away. Her partner was silent for a few moments before speaking up again.

"You're worried about Morro, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

"Why? He's our enemy!"

"He used to be our friend!"

"I thought you two used to hate each oth-" Wrayth broke off. "...or are you talking about when he lost his memory?"

"Yes." Bansha sighed. "It was... strange, to be able to trust him that much. To trust anyone."

"You don't trust me?" the chain master sounded offended.

"I trust you enough to tell you this." she shot him an annoyed look before turning away and continuing. "Ghoultar is infected, I don't trust Soul Archer, and I _definately_ don't trust that one-eyed girl. Other than you, I don't have any..." she trailed off for a moment. "...friends." the two were silent for a few moments before she spoke up again. "It doesn't matter. We have a job to do."

"Right." for the next few minutes, there was silence, until finally Wrayth's voice broke it. "Bansha?"

"What?"

"Can I go to sleep?"

"No."

* * *

 **Wrayth; half the time a capable soldier, the other half a whiney toddler. Wow.**

 **Indigo: Since there are no questions for me, I'LL be hosting the question answering.  
Dark Kai: Whee.  
Indigo: SHUT UP! For that, I'm starting with the questions for you.  
Dark Kai: ...  
Indigo: Okay, here's the first. From NinjaMelissa. "Why can't you be nice and go back to being the regular awesome Kai?"  
Dark Kai: Like I told string bean-  
Lloyd: I resent that.  
Dark Kai: LIKE I TOLD STRING BEAN, I don't think there's a way. And even if there was, I prefer myself this way.  
Lloyd: No you don't.  
Indigo: What Lloyd said. Anyway NEXT! Breana wants to know what your deepest, darkest secret is.  
Dark Kai: And that's for me?  
Indigo: Yes.  
Dark Kai: Why would I tell you morons my greatest secret?! IT'S A SECRET.  
Me: You have to answer.  
Indigo: Oh hi! When did you get back?  
Me: Haters were successfully bashed and I haven't gotten any more hatemail yet. So I'm done for now.  
Lloyd: Doesn't that bother you?  
Me: What, the haters? Nah. Well, maybe a bit. But we should get back to questions.  
Dark Kai: Wowee. Okay. My greatest, darkest secret is...  
*suspenceful silence*  
Dark Kai: ...I used to like watching the other ninja sleep.  
Me: AHA! I KNEW IT!  
Dark Kai: SHUT UP!  
Me: That's all of Kai's questions. Next is for Lloyd. From someone named "Lea", "** **How do you feel about the idea of a new ninja on the team?"**  
 **Lloyd: A new ninja? That would be kinda cool.  
Me: Okie dok. Another question for you, from Breana. "Who's the most annoying person you ever met?"  
Lloyd: Jay.  
Jay: Seriously?!  
Lloyd: I haven't met many annoying people...  
Me: Whatever. One more question thing from NinjaMelissa. "kick the overlord's butt for me!"  
Lloyd: I'll do my best.  
Me: Gosh these are gonna get really long... Okay. A couple questions for the Overlord.  
Lloyd: What?!  
Overlord: Hoi.  
Lloyd: WHAT?!  
Me: First is from Kloey. "RELEASE KAI U DUMB OVERLORD OR I WILL KILL U!"  
Overlord: No. He prefers being this way anyway.  
Dark Kai: Yeah!  
Me: STOP SAYING THAT YOU CLOD! Anyway. From Count Raptor, "why not just use the dark matter on all the ninja at once like a dark matter bomb or something then they wouldn't have a chance to stop you"  
Lloyd: Did he seriously just give the Overlord plot advice?  
Me: Don't worry.  
Overlord: I don't have enough dark matter for that. For the moment I only have enough to infect Morro.  
Indigo: WHAT?!  
Me: Shush. He'll be fine.  
Indigo: He better.  
Morro: What's going on?  
Indigo: He-  
Me: I'll tell you later. Next question is for Jay, from Count Raptor. "** **so what's your nickname for lloyd I won't tell anyone (except my ocs who will tell everyone)"  
Jay: Okay. It's-  
Lloyd: *death glare*  
Jay: ...green bean.  
Lloyd: YOU-  
Me: NO FIGHTING EACH OTHER! Next is for ALLLL the ninja from Breana. "What would you guys do if your elements were switched with each others? Like Kai, The Master of Ice, Zane, The Master of Fire, Cole, The Master of Lighting, and Jay, The Master of Earth."  
Cole: Ooh, that would get confusing. Probably Zane would set everything on fire and set everything else on first trying to put it out. And I would be zapping us and Kai would be stuck in an ice block and Jay... don't even get me started on Jay.  
Jay: What?!  
Me: That's the end of the questions, but Samantha wanted you all to know that you shouldn't be upset with Kai for the things he does while infected. It's not his fault.  
Lloyd: Of course not. We all love Kai. We're not upset with him, we're upset with the Overlord.  
Overlord: Everyone's glaring at me now.  
Dark Kai: Not me!  
Me: Stop talking. Okay, bye everyone! Gotta check on my haters!**

 **~FFF** **  
**


	6. Creatures of the Night

**Hey everyone! Sorry no review replies. I have 9- sorry, 8 minutes to post this before the internet goes off. So yeah. But as sort of a group review reply, I love you all!**

* * *

Chapter 6

"Where are we going?" Nya asked, slightly out of breath, as she followed Lloyd through the woods.

"I'm not exactly sure." the green ninja replied, slowing a bit as the woods thickened. "They'll find us if we can't find them." it was about an hour after sunset, and Morro, Lloyd, Nya, and Zane had headed out into the woods to try and enlist the help of the Shadelings. Morro and Lloyd were going, of course, because they had already met the creatures of the night and hopefully Ni wouldn't attack them. Nya and Zane were just curious to see the strange creatures. Morro didn't tell anyone, but the real reason he came along – Lloyd could have handled it just fine on his own – was to keep an eye on Lloyd. He had made a promise to protect the younger boy, and he was determined to keep it. After a few minutes of running, the four emerged into a small clearing. Lloyd lifted a hand, signalling for them to stop, and the four halted in the center of the ring of trees. "Ni!" the green ninja shouted into the darkness. "We need to talk to you!" Except for leaves rustling and crickets chirping, the forest was silent. "Ni?" he called again.

"Hello." Startled, Morro spun around to see the Shadeling Queen crouching on a low tree branch directly behind them, smirking at their surprise. "What do you need, human and ghossst?" she asked, leaping down from the branch and landing with barely a sound.

"Amazing." Zane remarked as Ni drew herself up to her full height of over six feet.

"What is thisss?" the Shadeling Queen frowned, approaching Zane slowly. "It looksss like a human, but it hasss no ssscent. Are you a ghossst?"

"I am Zane. I'm a robot. A Nindroid, if you will." the ice master replied.

"What'sss a "nindroid if you well"?" Ni asked, tilting her head.

"I'm... like a metal person."

"Hmm. I have never ssseen any of you before." she poked Zane's shoulder with one clawed finger before turning to Lloyd. "You didn't anssswer my quessstion. What do you want, human?"

"It's Lloyd. And we need your help." the blond ninja replied.

"Help?" Ni frowned. "Help with what?"

"Well... have you heard of the Overlord?"

"All Shadelingsss know the tale. It was passsed down by our anscestors from the time of the Firssst Ssspinjitzu Massster."  
"Well, um, he's back, and he's too much for us to handle. Will you and your tribe help us fight him?"

"Fight the Overlord?" Ni frowned, stepping away from Zane. "He is evil. He cannot be defeated."

"We already know he's evil. And we already killed him twice." Nya pointed out. "He just came back."

"No, I meansss..." the winged woman hesitated. "He is... all evil. True evil."

"Pure evil?" Zane inputted helpfully.

"Yesss. Pure evil." she nodded. "He cannot be killed. Only ssstopped for a time."

"Oh. I guess that explains what Kai said, then." Morro spoke up.

"What is a Kai?" Ni asked.

"Kai's a... Kai _was_ a friend." Lloyd's face fell, probably remembering Kai's attempt to either kill him or kidnap him. They weren't sure which. "The Overlord... infected him. Made him evil."

"I didn't know he could make othersss evil." Ni frowned. "How?"

"It's complicated. Back to my original question, will you help us?"

"It dependsss. What exactly do you need my help with?"

"Well, if it comes down to an army against an army, there are lots of Shadelings, right?"  
"Yesss."

"An army of Shadelings would be instrumental in a large battle. Also, your race is almost invisible in the dark. You could send some of them to spy on the enemy." After a moment, Lloyd added, "Y'know, if we can ever _find_ them."

"When sssend another when I can do it myself?" Ni smirked, flapping her wings. "I would be a far better ssspy. I can fly."

"Are you the only Shadeling with wings?" Nya asked curiously.

"Of thisss generation, yesss." the Shadeling Queen nodded. "I will inform my daughter of this and let her rule in my placcce. Then I will meet you back at your home." she backed away before they had a chance to answer and vanished into the night. The four in the clearing stood in silence for a few moments before Morro spoke up.

"We should head back to the Monastery. Since she can fly, it won't take her long to join us there."

"If she doesn't beat us there, that is." Lloyd agreed. "Come on." with that, the four turned around and began the walk back to the Monastery.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Great. Perfect." Wrayth grumbled, staring at the Monastery from his spot underneath a tree. "Morro was running around in the middle of the night. If he doesn't go to sleep soon, we'll have to wait until _tomorrow_ night!"

"Shh. I know." Bansha hushed him as she lay on her stomach on the grass, watching the Monastery through her binoculars. "Lights are turning off. Hopefully that means they're going to sleep. We'll need to get closer to know for sure, though."

"Right." Wrayth nodded. "Should we go now?"

"No..." Bansha shook her head. "Wait half an hour. That'll give them a chance to go to sleep."

"Fine." Wrayth leaned back against the tree with a sigh. The minutes slowly ticked by as the two waited, hoping they would get a chance to finish their mission tonight and get back to base. Finally, thirty minutes had gone by and the partners silently floated down the slope towards the Monastery. After a brief discussion, they agreed to split up and check all the windows in the hopes of finding Morro's bedroom. Unfortunately, ten minutes later, they had searched the first floor all the way around and found no sign of Morro. They then had to climb onto the first roof, which was the only way onto the second level of windows. After a difficult climb up an almost-sheer wall, they began checking the next row of windows. As Bansha was about to check the fourth window on her side, she heard their signal that they'd found something from Wrayth – a soft whistle that was inconspicuous enough to be a birdcall. However, the fact that he didn't just use her name meant that someone was listening. And that meant she had to be careful. Silently, she floated around to join her partner, who was crouching on the tile next to an open window. He motioned towards the window and she cautiously peeked inside. Morro was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall with a book in his hands. He was side awake, and appeared to be reading silently. Could they take him on even though he was awake? Suddenly, the wind master looked up and Bansha ducked out of sight, desperately hoping he hadn't seen her. After a moment, she heard soft footsteps, not coming towards her but moving away. Cautiously, she lifted her head, looking into the room just in time to see him phase through the wall and vanish. Where was he going?! Motioning for Wrayth to follow her, Bansha moved on to the next window, inside which Indigo lay, asleep, on her bed. He wasn't in here. Moving on, Bansha found an empty room, then the water ninja's room, then Lloyd's room. Just as she was about to pass it, Morro appeared. Quickly jerking her and Wrayth out of sight, she carefully peeked through the wooden frame as Morro approached the green ninja's bed. The wind master stared down at Lloyd – who was curled up in a ball on his bed – with a soft smile on his face. After a moment, Morro backed away and sat down against the wall opposite the bed, watching the younger boy while he slept. After waiting for a few minutes – in which Morro did absolutely nothing – it became evident to the ghosts that he wasn't going to leave. And even if he did fall asleep, attacking him would almost undoubtedly wake both him and Lloyd, and they didn't have a chance against them together. Defeated, the two climbed down from the roof and went back to the woods, preparing to wait another full day for another chance to attack.

* * *

 **So yep. Morro single-handedly thwarted a kidnapping attempt without even realizing it. Nyeh heh heh.**

 **Lloyd: Soo... do we have any questions?  
Me: I don't know. Probably. But we only have 6 minutes left so we can't do them.  
Lloyd: Aww.  
Dark Kai: Whew.  
Me: 5 MINUTES LEFT also shut up Kai.  
Dark Kai: NO!  
Me: YES!  
Dark Kai: NO!  
Me: This is pointless.  
Dark Kai: MMMMPHMMPHMMMMMPH!  
Lloyd: I didn't know you had the power to create duct tape.  
Me: I do. 4 MINUTES LEFT gotta post this BYE YALL**

 **~FFF**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hallo everyone. Sorry for not posting for... a week. I accidently got interested in the Harry Potter series and am now reading it. Plus I still have writers block and feel uncomfortable about writing the next chapter. Oy.**

 **Review replies(for both chapters 6 and 7):**

 **Nurse Medusa: You and I both. ;) Romance is sorely underappreciated.**

 **ninjagirl99204: I certainly will. ;)**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Heheh... yeah, I noticed. xD Except from herself, that is.**

 **Starry-eyed Ninja: I don't think the next chapter will be... "fluffy"... but there will definitely be romance in it. And you might want to give Kloey some cookies before she hacks your computer again...**

 **Angel Star Ninja: Heeeey, you came back! :D And yeah, I know you don't like romance... you kinda made that clear...**

 **Breana: Good to hear. ;)**

 **KRR: Okie dok. Why u let Kai out... ;_; Good thing I have duct tape powers! :D And sure, you can be in the mini stories.**

 **Samantha: Are you accusing me of shipping Bansha and Morro? Certainly not, my good reviewer! *adopts fake british accent***

 **Leb: I'm rather surprised to hear that you do. I don't know any other boys who like romance. I have two brothers about my age, and they both scream and make loud gagging noises whenever they see any, so... yeah. xD I don't know what any of those Star Wars ship names are. :/ And my mom still hasn't gotten the last 4 movies out of the library, so I haven't gotten a chance to watch them. :c Morro was keeping an eye on Lloyd in case he was attacked. And as for those videos, I'll try to watch them when I get a chance. ;)**

 **Petal: Okie dok. My three siblings closest to me in age all hate romance with a passion, so I can see how that might go. And he actually didn't know, he just wanted to keep an eye on Lloyd.**

 **Windy: I know how much you love romance. ;) Since writer's block is still hitting me full force, I have not yet written the chapter I've been leading up to. This is mainly just filler. I love how supportive you are of me. Thank you! I love you! ;D**

 **The Pink Ninja: Aww! Thank you! I love having new fans! ;D And I am looking forward to reading your fanfiction. ^ ^**

 **Have a random filler chapter with Steven Universe references.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"What'sss thisss?" Ni asked, holding up a lamp with a frown. "Is it a weapon?"

"No, it's not. Put that down." Lloyd took the lamp away from the Shadeling Queen. Setting it back down on a table.

"Fine. What about thisss?"" she picked up Sensei Wu's teapot, which was fortunately empty of tea. "Is thisss a weapon?"

"No! Nothing here is a weapon! Not in this room, anyway." The green ninja sighed, taking the teapot away and putting it back on its shelf. "Please stop grabbing things, okay?"

"Whatever you ssay." Ni shrugged and wandered off across the room. The Shadeling had arrived early that morning, and, after being introduced to the rest of the inhabitants of the monastery, started to wander around the monastery in search of something to do.

"If you want to see some weapons, we've got a bunch up in the training room." Lloyd suggested after a moment.

"Sssure." Ni followed him as he turned around and started towards the training area. "What are human weapons even like?" she muttered.

"Um... we've got swords, and nunchucks, and scythes... that sort of thing." the blond boy shrugged.

"What'sss a ssswordsss nunjuksss ssscydesss?"

"Nevermind. What are Shadeling weapons like?"

"Ssspearsss, clawsss, gauntletsss. Ussually we jussst fight with our bare handsss, though." Ni grinned, revealing her pointed teeth.

"Huh." Lloyd turned a last corner and the two found themselves in the training room, the walls of which were stocked with various weapons.. Ni wasted no time in flying over to examine them.

"Weaponsss made of... metal?" the Shadeling Queen frowned. "Why?"

"Metal is flexible when heated, so it's easy to shape, and it can be sharpened easily." Lloyd took a katana down from the wall to show her, and she ran her finger halfway along the blade before yelping in surprise and pulling her finger away.

"It'sss as sharp as the tip of a ssspear." she remarked, looking down at her finger. Lloyd noticed with surprise that the blood leaking out of her was bright pink.

"Why is your blood pink? He asked, lowering the sword to his side.

"I don't know. What color is yoursss?"

"Red."

"Really? Let me sssee!" Without warning, Ni raked a claw down Lloyd's arm and gave him a light scratch.

"Hey!" Lloyd jumped back, cradling his hurt arm against his chest. "That hurt!" Ni frowned.

"It did?"

"Yeah! A lot!" he complained, staring down at his bleeding arm. The winged shadeling was silent for a moment before laughing and launching herself at Lloyd.

"FEEL MY UNBRIDLED RAGE!"

" _Ni!_ "

ReturnOfTheOverlord

 _"When are you going to bring him back?!"_ the Overlord demanded in Bansha's head. _"It's been over twenty four hours since you left!"_

 _"Sorry sir. We can't attack while they're awake, if we want to maintain secrecy, and Morro was awake all night last night with Lloyd."_ The female ghost replied silently. It was about noon, and Bansha was giving the Overlord a report on how their mission was going as Wrayth kept an eye on the Monastery.

 _"Their bond is insufferable."_ the Overlord muttered angrily. _"But that's no excuse. Get him here_ tonight _. I don't care what you have to do. Just get him back here. I want him transformed as soon as possible, and my contacts will have the Dark Matter here by tonight."_

 _"Yes si-"_ she began, but was cut off by Wrayth.

"Bansha." She opened her eyes and frowned at him.

"Don't break my concentration. I'm trying to talk to the Overlord." she berated him before closing her eyes again and trying to renew the connection.

"But, look, something's happening." her partner grabbed her arm and jarred her out of her thoughts. Grudgingly, the female ghost looked up at the building in front of them. Someone was running back and forth on the highest level of the Monastery. More than one, it looked like. Suddenly, a figure in green was shoved out the window and onto the roof.. Unable to keep his balance, the figure toppled off the edge of the roof into open air. Quickly, Bansha scooped up her binoculars from the ground and peered through them at the falling figure. It was Lloyd. Suddenly, his fall slowed and he landed lightly on his back on a lower roof. A window on that level opened and Morro stepped out onto the shingles, helping Lloyd to his feet. The ghost then turned to the window Lloyd had fallen from, and Bansha heard faint, angry yelling. A moment later, some sort of black, creature landed on the roof beside the two.

"What... is that?" the female ghost muttered, zooming in on the... thing. It looked like a woman, with jet-black, shiny skin and ragged hair. And wings. Large, strong, bat wings.

"A Shadeling." Wrayth replied. "They apparently live in the forests of Ninjago. I've never seen one before, but this one looks like what I've heard about them."

"Why didn't you tell me about them?" Bansha frowned, taking in the woman's sharp-looking claws and fangs.

"I didn't know if they were even real." her partner shrugged. "But I know they're dangerous. And they live in huge tribes. Which means if the Ninja have made friends witht them, we could be in trouble."

"...maybe..." the ghost warrior muttered as she watched the "shadeling" shove Lloyd off the roof again. "We don't even know if it is friends with them/ It's pushing them off the roof."

"They're not fighting her, though. I think she's just being playful."

"Alright." the blade master nodded. "It's possible this one is some kind of outcast. If they're... wild animals, of a sort, why would they trust the ninja?"

"I don't know." Wrayth shook his head. "They seem to have a knack with animal-like races."

"Except when those races push them off roofs." Bansha smirked as Lloyd landed in a bush.

"Right." the chain master agreed. "She – the shadeling – seems to be pretty mischievous. Not sure whether she'll actually be a help to them or not."

"Well, she can fly." the ghost warrior shrugged. "That's more than most of us can do." Wrayth nodded and the conversation ended, leaving them both in silence for hours to come.

* * *

 ***takes deep breath* GO AWAY WRITER'S BLOCK**

 **Remember back when I posted every day? I miss those days.**

 **Dark Kai: And now we get to answer stupid questions made by stupid people who apparently have nothing better to do then talk to other people over the _internet_.  
KRR: Shush.  
Me: What she said. *cough* We actually don't have many! As I'm SURE you'll be happy to hear, Kai!  
Dark Kai: I'm shocked. You were right about something.  
Me: Shush. Okay, the first is from The Pink Ninja, for Lloyd. "** **Do you like that people ship you and Kai on Greenflame?"  
Lloyd: Absolutely not. It's disgusting. Ew.  
Me: Glad to hear you agree. *innocently shoves haters out the window*  
KRR: Meh.  
Me: Shhh. The second question is ALSO from The Pink Ninja- wait, they all are. Anyway. Next is for Jay. "How's your arm doing? Hope you feel better buddy."  
Jay: It's healing. Slowly. But thanks. :D  
Me: The third is from - whoops, I already said - and for Zane. "Do you ever plan on rebuilding P.I.X.A.L.?"  
Zane: Certainly. In fact, I recently contacted Cyrus Borg for his help creating a new android body for her.  
Me: Fun. Fourthly, for Kai, "Why don't you just use you're elemental powers to escape? Just burn a hole through the wall!"  
Lloyd: HEY!  
Me: "(Don't hate me Lloyd!)"  
Lloyd: Sheesh. How am I supposed to save the world when every keeps giving my enemies ideas for how to defeat me?  
Dark Kai: I would do that... EXCEPT THAT VENGESTONE NEUTRALIZES OUR ELEMENTAL POWERS, YOU IDIOT.  
Me: SHEESH, Kai. How was anyone supposed to know that they got Vengestone? I never mentioned it! Apologize!  
Dark Kai: NEVER!  
Me: RIGHT NOW.  
Dark Kai: ...  
Me: ...  
Dark Kai: When did you get a magic wand?  
Me: When I started reading the Harry Potter books.  
Dark Kai: Fine. I'm SORRY.  
Me: Thank yooou! ^ ^ The fifth is for-  
Ni: LOOK AT THESE WEAPONSSS!  
Lloyd: There are no questions for you! Go away!  
Ni: I REFUSE!  
Me: Ni, go away...  
Ni: Whatever you sssay.  
Lloyd: LET GO OF ME!  
Morro: Should we help him?  
Me: Nah. The fifth is for Cole. "How you doing? Being a ghost and all."  
Cole: I'm doing fine. Luckily, being a ghost doesn't hinder my ability to eat cake. :9  
Me: Stop using emoticons. Those are reserved for authors only.  
KRR: :) ;D BD ^ ^  
Me: ...I need to hurry this up. Last two questions are for Morro and Nya, and they are, "Why did you stay in Lloyd's room all night instead of a quick peek in? It's a little creepy." (for Morro) and "Can you do Airjitzu yet? I know you can in the show(as of Season 6-spoiler!)but how about here?" (for Nya).  
Morro: I need to keep an eye on him, to make sure he's safe.  
Me: He's currently being dangled off a roof by his foot by a crazy dragon lady.  
Morro: She won't hurt him.  
Nya: I CAN do Airjitzu, ye-  
Jay: CYCLON-DO!  
Nya: Shhh. Yes.  
Me: And since this is, like, super way too long, let us draw this to a close.  
Dark Kai: I HOPE I NEVER HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN.  
Me: SEND HIM LOTS OF QUESTIONS!**

 **~FFF**


	8. Dark Victory

**Hello everyone. This is Lloyd. KRR killed FFf with a review detailing all the Yaoi and Yuri ships she supports, so FFF is... dead. Again. In semi-related news, there aren't going to be any review replies. There are multiple reasons for this, including 1. It's late and we're trying to hurry and post this, 2. She fell off her bike and possibly broke her ribs, and as such she doesn't feel like spending a long time on this, 3. Her brother, Zachary, might have broken his wrist (or both of them), and 4. She's a freakin' ghost. She wanted me to tell you that she loves you all, especially Windy, though she's a bit upset with KRR. And she also says, "YES, I AM JUDGING." Other than that, she says this chapter stinks and it's horrible and she's hiding in a wall writing fanfictions she won't post. I should probably go talk with her.**

* * *

Chapter 8

Night had finally fallen over Ninjago, signifying to Bansha and Wrayth that it was time to make their move. They hoped. Bansha was worried that Morro would be awake again. Of course, he had to sleep sometime, and, since he had caught Lloyd earlier that day, he must have been awake at the time. So hopefully he was tired enough to be asleep now. As the stars winked up in the cloudless sky, Bansha and Wrayth descended from the hill next to the monastery and shimmied up a drainpipe to the first roof. After a few moments, the two located Morro's room. The wind master, much to their relief, was asleep. Silently, the two phased through the wall and approached the bed, on which Morro shifted slightly in his sleep. Wrayth pulled a length of black rope – deepstone – from his belt, handing it to Bansha, who frowned. It would be hard to tie Morro up without waking him. Oh well. As gently as possible, to avoid waking him up Bansha looped the rope around one of Morro's wrists, tying a knot and tightening it slowly. He didn't react. Good. She reached for his other wrist, but her hand never touched it. She never got the chance, as Morro's bound hand abruptly shot out and grabbed her wrist. She jerked away, startled, as Morro opened his eyes and sat up instantly, glaring at her.

"What are you doing here?!" he demanded, making the blade master wince at his loud voice. She didn't answer, just wrenched her wrist out of his grasp as Wrayth brandished a blade.

"Do you really think we're going to answer you?" the chain master growled, holding the blade to Morro's throat. "Don't try to escape." he snapped. Bansha moved to tie Morro's wrists together, but the wind master grabbed her arm and twisted it, causing her to yank her arm away before he hurt her. "I said, don't try anything!" Wrayth snarled, trying to intimidate the younger ghost. Morro only smirked.

"That sword doesn't bother me." he said quietly, still smiling. "If you're trying to tie me up, you need me for something. Probably what you did to Kai. But if you kill me, I'll reappear back in the Cursed Realm, and get away before you have a chance to get there. It's useless." the wind master pushed the sword away from him and Wrayth made no move to replace it. Morro had a point. "Now I ask again: What are you doing here?" the ghost boy repeated.

"We were sent to bring you back to the Overlord, as you already guessed." Bansha hissed, speaking up at last.. Morro slid off the bed into a standing position, most likely so he was in a less vulnerable position in case they attacked. He frowned at her for a few seconds before saying,

"I still don't want to fight you."

"Neither do I," she replied evenly, ignoring Wrayth's accusatory glare in her direction. "but I don't have a choice."

"Then neither do I." Morro turned his head towards the door and took a breath, probably about to call for backup. In the moment before he spoke, Bansha whipped out her sword.

"Ll-" was all he managed to say before she struck him with the hilt of her blade on the side of the head, making him crumple to the ground.

"That was easy." Wrayth remarked as Morro lay, unmoving, on the floor. Bansha shrugged and bent down, about to start tying his wrists together again, when his leg shot out and he kicked her in the knee. She lost her balance and stumbled to the ground next to him, hissing at the sudden pain. It probably wasn't bad. Though it was annoying that they had been tricked by Morro playing possum for the second time in five minutes. She rolled over on her back to see Morro on his feet and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Wrayth, who had wisely reformed his legs into a tail. Morro seemed to be winning, though at least he was too out of breath to call for help Again. As Bansha got to her feet, Morro grabbed Wrayth by the arm and threw him, using a gust of wind to increase his momentum and the chain master sailed through the opposite wall. As the ghost boy was distracted, Bansha took the oppertunity to loop an arm around his neck and pull, putting him in a chokehold. Morro struggled to escape, though the lack of air was clearly slowing him down. Finally, just as she thought he was about to pass out, he kicked backwards, right into her already-injured knee. Bansha instantly let go, falling backwards to the ground. He was an amazing fighter, she would give him that. Why couldn't Soul Archer come capture him himself?

"Sorry." Morro murmured between gasps for breath. Bansha only shook his head. He wasn't supposed to _apologize_ , they were _fighting_. As soon as he had caught his breath, Morro turned to her and said, "You've failed. You can either go back to the Overlord, or I can call the others and you can be locked up with Kai." Bansha hissed in annoyance. The Overlord would be furious that they had lost to Morro in a fight. But he might be even angrier if they were captured. What should she do? She was in no shape to try and fight him again, as her leg was injured and possibly broken and Wrayth was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted by a high-pitched, feminine scream. It sounded vaguely familiar. Morro seemed to recognize it immediately, as he stiffened and looked around the room, trying to figure out where it had come from. After a few long seconds, Wrayth emerged from the wall Morro had thrown him through, this time dragging someone else with him. Indigo. The younger girl's hands were held behind her back with one of Wrayth's, while his other hand covered her mouth. The chain master was careful to keep her hands where she couldn't touch him, so she couldn't use her powers. Though she struggled to free herself, she wasn't nearly strong enough to escape his grasp.

"Surrender." the chain master said coldly, tightening his grip on Indigo's wrists. "Or we'll take her instead." It was a ruse, of course. The Overlord wanted Morro, not his girlfriend. But Morro didn't know that, and he probably would have given himself up immediately if Indigo hadn't bitten Wrayrh's hand, making the older ghost yelp in surprise and yank his hand away.

"Don't!" the void master exclaimed as soon as she could speak. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself. They'll slip up and I'll escape."

"I can't..." Morro shook his head, staring at the floor. "Wrayth, let her go. I'll come with you." Indigo opened her mouth to protest, but Wrayth covered her mouth again.

"Bansha, tie him up." the chain master ordered. As the ghost warrior stood up unsteadily, trying not to put too much weight on her left leg, Morro looked up at Wrayth, narrowing his eyes.

"Let her go first."

"No." Wrayth shook his head."How do I know you won't attack as soon as I do? Wait until you're tied up. Then I'll let her go."

"Promise."

"Fine. I promise I'll let her go after Bansha ties you up." The chain master sighed exasperatedly. "Now _tie him up_ , Bansha."

"Last time I checked, _I_ was in charge of this mission..." Bansha muttered, but pulled Morro's hands behind his back and tied them together tightly – though, not uncomfortably so. The wind master didn't resist, just maintained eye contact with Indigo, who seemed to be contemplating whether or not to bite Wrayth again. When the blade master was satisfied that he couldn't slip free, she stepped back and Wrayth nodded.

"Now come over here and tie her up." the chain master jerked Indigo to the side, making her stumble.

" _What_?!" Morro demanded as Indigo made an indistinct yell from under Wrayth's hand.

"You promised you would let her go!" Bansha protested.

"I only said that so he wouldn't fight back." the older ghost shrugged unconcernedly. "Come on."

"You can't go back on your word!" Morro shouted, struggling to get free of the ropes binding his wrists together.

"Yes I can." the chain master looked amused by Morro's escape attempts.

"He's right. If you don't keep your promises, how will Soul Archer trust you? Why should _I_ trust you?!" the blade master snapped.

"Why do- he's the _enemy_ , okay? It's fine to lie to him." Wrayth lifted his hand from Indigo's mouth to gesture at Morro, clamping it back down before she had a chance to speak. "The Overlord's not going to care if we bring a second prisoner back. It only makes the trap better."

" _Trap?!_ " Indigo's voice came, muffled, from underneath Wrayth's hand.

"And now she knows. So we have to bring her, or she'll tell all the others." the chain master pointed out, pressing his hand harder over the younger ghost's mouth.

"Let her go!" Morro ordered, taking a step towards the two.

"What are you going to do about it? Besides, wouldn't you be happier together? OW!" Wrayth snarled as Indigo bit his hand again and argued,

"Not if you turn us both evil like Kai! You promised..." Though she had been trying to sound tough, the ghost girl's voice cracked and she fell silent.. Finally, Bansha walked over, saying,  
"Let her go, Wrayth."

"Why?!" he demanded, grabbing Indigo's arm with his free hand in an attempt to keep her still.

"Because you gave your word. And I'm in charge."

"But why do you _care_?! Last time I checked, you two hated each other!"

"I don't care about her, you're right. But I do care about being honest, and I refuse to tolerate someone who will completely revoke a _promise_." This wasn't quite true. The main reason she wanted Indigo to be freed was because of Morro. She hated to see him suffer. Besides that, she was annoyed with the older ghost and wanted to get her way.

"I – you – agh." Wrayth sighed loudly. "No." At this, Bansha brandished her sword and pointed it at her partner's throat.

"Let. Her. Go." She ordered. The chain master was silent for a few long moments before muttering,

"Fine." and letting Indigo go. The younger girl stumbled forward, but caught her balance and ran away from the two over to Morro.

"Run." the ghost boy hissed, and she hesitated for only a moment before running towards the wall and vanishing through it. The three in Morro's bedroom were silent for a few moments before Wrayth strode across the room, grabbed Morro roughly by the shoulder, and shoved him towards the window.

"Come on. The Overlord's expecting us." he snapped. Bansha slid her sword back into its sheath, then limped across the room and climbed out the window with the others to go back to base.

* * *

 **I don't know about you, I don't think it was that bad. It's probably just teenage girl hormones.**

 **Me (Lloyd): So, where do I find if people asked any questions?  
FFF: Click "reviews".  
Me: Oh... okay. So, we have a few questions. First, for Kai, "** **What do you do to pass the time since you're captured by the great and powerful ninja!? Do you sing?"  
Kai: Sing?! Absolutely not! ...who asked that, by the way?  
Me: Windy.  
Kai: Mainly I just glare at slash insult whoever's guarding me.  
FFF: You're supposed to use the slash key.  
(Okay this part of the conversation isn't important)  
Me: Next, another question for Kai, from Breana. "If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?"  
Kai: Um, let's see. First, get out. Second, turn the rest of the ninja evil. Third, make the Overlord king of the world!  
FFF: Wow.  
Me: Um, okay. Now Nya h  
FFF: HEY WHAT DO YOU MEAN "TEENAGE GIRL HORMONES", I CAN HATE MY WORK IF I WANT TO!  
Me: I don't think so... but, um, Nya has a question from Breana. "What's it like being around boys all the time?"  
Nya: It's... intresting. It's nice having Ness, Anna, Gin, and Sara around. I can do girly stuff with them, haha.  
Me: Yeah, the other ninja and I don't really see the appeal of hairstyling... anyway, Count Raptor wants Ni to throw Jay "tongue first" out a four-story window.  
Ni: Ssso happy to oblige.  
Jay: OH MY GHOST NI WHAT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH  
Me: Um... will he be okay?  
FFF: Not to worry. I caught him.  
Me: Good.  
FFF: I'll be hiding in the wall some more now.  
Me: ...okay then. Count Raptor also wants to know if Serpentine blood is blue. I don't know. Anyone?  
Ni: I don't know.  
Jay: uuuuhhhhnnnnnnnn  
Me: Okay then. Next question is from Silent Girl. She's got a bunch. For Kai, "** **I dare you to be nice to the ninja for one chapter, have you read harry potter? Here have a chocolate frog.** **" For me, "I heard a rumour that if you kill evil Kai normal Kai will return, or die, will you try it" For Jay, "Do you love Nya?" For Nya, "Do you love Jay?" For Cole and Zane, "How do you feel when you two often don't get to do much but the others do" For the Overlord, "Will you please get a life and be nice to people please?" and for Morro, "Did you have a crush on a certain girl ghost?". For my question, no... I wouldn't risk losing my friend.  
Kai: Uh, I can't be _nice_. Being nice is overrated. Also, no, I haven't read the Ha OH MY GHOST WHAT THE HECK THE CHOCOLATE IS JUMPING AWAY  
Me: It sure is. Tasty, though.  
Kai: YOU ATE MY FROG!  
Me: Ask the reviewers for another one.  
Jay: muuuuubluhhhhnggg  
Nya: Jay and I are dating, yes...  
Cole: Eh, at least we don't get hurt as much as the rest.**  
 **Zane: Agreed. Since I have less "screentime" than the rest, I spend that time perfecting P.I.X.A.L.'s new body.**  
 **Overlord: I am the embodiment of evil. I am incapable of "getting a life and being nice to people".**  
 **Morro: ...what do you mean? I am dating Indigo now... but I don't think I've ever had a "crush" on anyone else.**  
 **Me: Kai has one more question, from Petal. "If Lloyd was evil, like you, would he be your best friend?"  
** **Kai: Maybe. I guess.  
Me: Right... oh, and, FFF wanted to tell Angel something.  
FFF: It's perfectly normal and okay to not like/understand romance. Ally is that way. You don't have to like it, it's fine if you don't. And Samantha, yes, Ni is a Peridot.  
Ni: What?  
FFF: Bye ima hide in a wall now.  
Me: Ah... okay. Well, we're out of questions so... see you next time!  
**

 **~Lloyd**


	9. Chapter 9

**BREAKING NEWS: FFF IS NOW MIRACULOUS LADYBUG TRASH**

 **Hi everyone. It's still Lloyd, since FFF is still a ghost and hasn't found a cure. She can dictate to me, though. She wants everyone to know that she accidently became obsessed with this cartoon called "Miraculous Ladybug". About superheroes. "Not to worry," she says, "I'm still obsessed with Ninjago too. ;) But Miraculous Ladybug is really awesome PLZ WATCH IT"**

 **Review replies(short-ish and only from the last chapter sorry I can't catch up ;_;):**

 **Starry-eyed ninja: Aww, thanks! :D Hope there's some air holes in that jail...**

 **Nurse Medusa: Yeah, he's not at all like he was in the show, haha. I'm glad you think he's better. ;)**

 **KRR: Hi Stan, Jake, Tylor, June, Star, Kadian, Jallory, Kaylor, and Ray. That's everyone, I think? Oh! And KRR! You seem insistent to shove homosexuality in my face... Is that what you're trying to do? It's not like I hate you for it or anything like that, it's just that I believe it is wrong and it makes me uncomfortable. Oh, and, your character Kayenta? I don't think she'll show up. Sorry. I'm having a hard enough time trying to fit all the OCs I already have in the story. :c**

 **Samantha: Maybe. *innocently backs away* And yes, she was. I really have no idea what's going to happen to her eventually. I'm still working it out.**

 **Petal: Yes. Which means some certain bad guys MIGHT have a change in plans...**

 **Leb: Yes, well... it's not his real name. His real name is close to it, though. Who's Mace Windu? I still haven't seen the Star Wars prequels... my mom just got episodes 2 and 3 from the library today, but we don't have 1. :P Whoever he is, THANK YOU FROM REKING TRUMP**

 **Windy: I still have writer's block, yes, but watching Miraculous Ladybug is helping I think. Or maybe it's all my friends praying.** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ **That video, "Morro can swing his sword", is really good. I had already seen it when you told me about it, and it's really funny. A friend of mine actually made it. ^ ^ Thanks for the cookies! Love you!**

 **The Pink Ninja: I'm glad you're enjoying it! ^ ^ Those things are really funny, I'll be sure to give them some dares. ;D**

 **See? Short-ish. Anyway, FFF says that she's sorry she's not updating often, but she'll be sure to update at least once a week.**

* * *

Chapter 9

"I'm tiiiiiireeeed." Wrayth complained loudly, his shoulders slumping as he floated very slowly down the hill from the monastery. Bansha let out an exasperated sigh.

"Shut _up_ , Wrayth." she muttered, limping on her left leg. Morro followed along behind her, his hands still bound behind his back.

"Can't we take a break? I haven't slept in over forty-eight hours!" the chain master complained.

"Neither have I. But you don't see me complaining, do you?" Bansha bit back. She was very tired, despite her feigned confidence. Not tired enough to fall over asleep, she hoped, though.

"You look tired, though." Morro spoke up from behind her. "Maybe we should rest. Then I can take a look at your leg."

"What?! What would _you_ know about it, anyway?!" Wrayth snapped, spinning around to face the younger ghost. "No way! You're probably just trying to take us off guard so you can escape!"

"Wrayth, if he wanted to escaped he would have done it by now." Bansha muttered irritably, rubbing her forehead as a headache began to form.

"What? No he wouldn't! We overpowered him and now he's our prisoner!" the chain master protested.

"The only reason we captured him was because you used Indigo as bait." Bansha snarled, her exhaustion making her irritable. "And then going back on your word."

"You're not seriously still upset about that, are you?" Wrayth asked, looking back at her with a skeptical expression.

" _It was literally ten minutes ago!_ "

"So?"

"We're taking a break." She decided abruptly. "Wrayth, sleep if you want. We're going to be here a little while." the blade master turned off the path and led the two other ghosts into a grove of trees. As soon as they stopped, Wrayth plopped down on the ground, leaned against a tree, and fell asleep within seconds. Bansha eased herself down against a tree as well, stretching out her injured leg and wincing as pain shot through it. It wasn't broken, it would hurt a lot more if it was. Probably just a sprain. Still hurt, though. Morro knelt beside her, his eyes fixed on her knee for a few moments before meeting her eyes.

"Your leg needs wrapped." he stated. "Do you have any medical supplies?"

"Probably." the ghost warrior shrugged off the backpack she was wearing and riffled through it for a moment before producing a small first-aid kit. Inside was, among other things, a stiff bandage. She pulled it out and was about to start wrapping her leg when Morro stopped her.

"Let me." he suggested. "I have basic medical training."

"So do I."

"But you need to hold your leg straight."

"I suppose. But..." She paused. "If I untie you, will you run away?"

"No. Like you said, if I wanted to escape I would have done it by now." he smiled faintly. "I won't. And, unlike Wrayth, I won't go back on my word." Bansha was silent for a few moments as they held eye contact, trying to decide whether to trust him or not.

"You better not." she said at last, reaching behind him and untying his ropes. As soon as the knots loosened, Morro pulled his hands free, flexing his fingers to regain feeling in them. After a moment of this, he took the bandage from her and unraveled it. He then rolled up her left pant leg past her injured knee and began to wrap the bandage around her leg, lifting it slightly when necessary. The two were silent for a minute while Morro bandaged her leg, before he finally spoke.

"...thank you for rescuing Indigo." he thanked her, not looking up from her leg. "She means a lot to me."

"I know. That's why I did it." Bansha replied quietly. The wind master didn't reply for a few moments, then asked,

"What do you think Wrayth will do when he finds that you've untied me?"

"Probably start screaming." the female ghost smirked. "He is really immature."

"I noticed. How old is he?" Morro asked curiously.

"Around one hundred and ninety years old." the wind master's hands fumbled on the bandage and he looked up at her in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I knew ghosts were immortal, but..." he shook his head and looked back down at the bandage. "How old are you?"

"120-130."

"Mmm." he nodded. "And still far more mature than Wrayth."

"That's not saying much." she smirked and he chuckled "How old are you?"

"Around 35." he replied once his laughter died down. "Almost a hundred years younger than you."

"True." she nodded. In the few seconds of silence that followed, he finished wrapping her leg and secured the end of the bandage.

"How does that feel?" he asked, pulling his hands away and looking up to meet her eyes.

"Tight." she remarked, bending her knee slightly with some effort. "But not uncomfortably so. Thank you."

"You're welcome." he answered after a moment, standing up and offering her a hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. "Can you walk?" Morro asked her. Bansha took an experimental step. She could walk fine, though her bandaged leg still hurt a bit.

"I'm fine." She replied. He nodded and let go of her hand. A moment later, they both winced as Wrayth's voice rang out through the clearing.

" _Bansha! Why_ is Morro not tied up?!" the chain master demanded. "What the heck are you doing?!"

"He was bandaging my leg." the female ghost replied calmly.

"Are you _trying_ to let him escape?!" Wrayth continued ranting, apparently not hearing her. "You _know_ he's going to run off as soon as you turn your back!"

"No he won't." she retorted, stopping him. "He said he wouldn't."

"And you _trust_ him?!"

"More than I trust you." she snapped, her bad mood returning. "And since you seem to be finished napping, shut up and start walking." She spun around, picked up her pack, and stalked towards the road. "Come on, Morro." the wind master silently obeyed, and the three were soon back on their way to the Overlord's base.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

" _Wake up!_ " Lloyd woke up abruptly to something slamming into him at high speeds. After a moment of lying there in shock, he realized that he had crashed into something, not the other way around. Sitting up, he found himself on his bedroom floor, right next to his bed.

"What am I doing here...?" he muttered, rubbing his aching head.

"You wouldn't wake up, so I pushed you off the bed." Indigo's voice floated down from above him, and he stood up to see her standing on the other side of his bed.

"Why were-" he started, but she cut him off.

"BanshaandWraythwereinMorro'sroomandtheysaidhehadtisurrenderorthey'dtakemebacktotheOverlordbutIcould'veescapedandnowhe'sintroubleandit'sallmyfault!" the ghost girl said in one breath, then proceeded to burst out crying. The blond boy stared at the void master, whose face was buried in her hands. He barely heard what she said, due to her saying it so fast. After a moment, he walked around the bed over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay." he said, trying to comfort her.

" _No it's not!_ " She glared at him between her fingers. "Did you even _hear_ what I just _said_?!"

"...no." he admitted. "Not much of it. Just that something was your fault. Something about Morro."

"Bansha and Wrayth captured him!" Indigo exclaimed, covering her face again. "They used me as bait again and h-he went with them!"

"Oh." Lloyd breathed, barely noticing when his hand phased through her shoulder and dropped to his side. First Kai, now Morro. Were they deliberately targeting those closest to him? It wouldn't surprise him. And now Morro was theirs. Was there any hope of rescuing him? Or were they already too late? For all he knew, Morro was already infected. And since there was practically no way to heal him... he didn't see a way to get him back. Indigo was crying again, he noticed, which brought him back to his senses. "It's not your fault," he told her, touching her shoulder again. "Morro chose to take your place of his own free will. He was willing to do the same thing for you that you were for him."

"I know..." she mumbled. "B-but, if I hadn't let myself be taken by Wrayth in the first place, h-he wouldn't have have had to save me at all!"

"True. But what's done is done." Lloyd shook his head, his heart sinking. A rescue would be almost impossible since they didn't even know where he was being held. Besides, they had no idea how much Dark Matter the Overlord had. He probably had enough to infect them all as soon as they entered the base anyway, Impossible. Sighing, Lloyd sat down on the edge of the bed and let his head drop into his hands. How were they going to win this?

* * *

 _ **Yes,**_ **spellcheck, I _know_ "tiiiiiireeeed" isn't a word. Stop bothering me about it. (this is FFF with lloyd typing for me btw) **

**So Morro and Bansha have a strange relationship. :/ Also Wrayth is ridiculously immature.**

 **FFF: We've got some questions! :D  
** **Dark Kai: Please no.  
FFF: For starters, here's one for KAI! :D  
** **Dark Kai: I SAID PLEASE NO!  
FFF: It's from The Pink Ninja, who says, "NEVER. CALL. ME. AN. IDIOT. AGAIN. I. WILL. KILL. YOU. AND. BRING. THE. OLD. LOVEABLE. BIGHEADED. BIG-EGO. KAI. BACK." You sure made her mad! :D  
Dark Kai: UM, excuse me? I do NOT have a big ego.  
FFF: Watch season 6.  
Dark Kai: No.  
FFF: Next question from The Pink Ninja is for Bansha! "**D **o you have a crush on Morro?"**  
 **Bansha: No, I don't.  
Morro: That would be weird.**  
 **FFF: Lots of people ship you two all the same. Next question is for Dark Kai, from Windy! "Do you remember that the ninja were your friends?"**  
 **Dark Kai: Um... yeah... I guess.**  
 **FFF: Good. Next is also from Windy, for Lloyd. "Do you miss Kai being Kai?"**  
 **Lloyd: Yeah... I really miss him...**  
 **FFF: :c Next from Windy is for Morro. "What do you do in your spare time?"  
Morro: Read, fly kites, Jay is teaching me how to play video games.  
Jay: It's hard 'cause he's a ghost.  
FFF: Yeah. Okay, we be out of questions. I have a couple questions for the readers, though. Do any of you live near me? I live in Ohio. It would be really cool if we could meet in real life. c: Secondly, how many of you are Christians? I know Windy is, and I think Angel Star Ninja. But I don't know about anyone else. Thanks! Remember, REALITY IS AN ILLUSION THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM BUY GOLD, BYYYYYYYYE!**

 **~FFF**


	10. A New Scheme

**Happy Easter everyooooone! FFF is back, thanks to a potion from KRR's OC, Krissy. Thanks KRR! If you hadn't given me that, I probably wouldn't have gotten this chapter posted, since Lloyd is on a sugar high from eating like 6 sticks of cotton candy. He's running all over the place. It's crazy.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Nurse Medusa: Yeah, he's so much nicer than in canon (because he was a villain obviously). ^ ^ I'm glad you're a Christian. And I know it's hard to be strong with your faith on the internet. I attracted a large cloud of trolls on Tumblr because of my beliefs. Fortunately, since my brain is broken or something they just made me laugh and I fought them off. ;D**

 **AveXCninja11: Aww, thanks! ;)**

 **Starry-Eyed Ninja: Aww. :( I'm sorry. I know how it feels when a friend dies.**

 **Samantha: Indeed.**

 **KRR: It's alright. I'm sorry I made you upset. :( Which Springfield? There are 5 in the US. I live very near one of them.**

 **Windy: Good to hear. ;) The sword video is indeed awesome. Spell Check is annoying, but useful. Especially when you don't know how to spell things (like "especially". xD). And I'm still working on when Jessica's going to show up. Soon. My brain is still screaming at me at the thought of writing romance. :P**

 **The Mayor Of Ninjago City: Haha yeah. And the "ReturnOfTheOverlord" paragraph breaks.**

 **The Pink Ninja: Thanks a lot! I love seeing your reviews. :D I don't want to give out my exact age online, but I am somewhere between 14 and 16. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Yay! Another Miraculous Ladybug fan! :D I would like to see a sneak peek of your story, yes please. :) Sorry I missed that question last time.**

 **Petal: Oh no. :( I hope you're all okay...**

 **BinxAngelo13: Too bad. :P At least we can communicate through PMs.**

 **Hmm, I think those were shorter than usual. idk.** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

* * *

Chapter 10

"It's hopeless." Soul Archer muttered, floating back and forth. "There's no way we can succeed now. Our only hope was for them to try to rescue him," the ghostly archer gestured to Morro, who was chained with Vengestone in the corner of the room. "and, now that they know it's a trap, there's no way they'll go for it." He turned to glare at Bansha and Wrayth, who were standing respectfully nearby. "I just can decide which one of your's faults it is."

"It's obviously her fault." Wrayth muttered. "If she had just let me take the girl, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"But if _you_ hadn't blurted out that it was a trap, we wouldn't have had to!" Bansha shot back.

"Bah, why does it matter whose fault it is?" Chen interjected. "What's important is that we need a new plan."

"Yes, well, plans don't exactly grow on trees." the Overlord pointed out.. "Good ones, at least."

"Well, the first thing we need is a new base." Chen replied, tapping his foot on the concrete floor. "This one's in the middle of the city. It'd be far too easy for someone to come across it by accident."

"Where do you suggest we go, then?" Soul Archer asked, turning to the former noodle tycoon.

"Well, I doubt anyone is on my old island." the red-haired man replied with a grin.

"You have an island?" the Overlord asked in surprise.

"Sure! I had to have somewhere to run my illigal fighting opperation."

"...alright then." the Overlord shook his head. "So we move to your island. Then what?"

"Well, we could suggest a trade."

"A trade?" Soul Archer frowned. "Lloyd for Morro?"

"Exactly." Chen nodded.

"But surely he won't go for it! Didn't we already go over this?" Soul Archer folded his arms crossly. "Emotions are vurnedable things, my ghostly comrade." Chen smiled, almost conscendingly. "The ninja have strong bonds with each other. They "love" each other. When one of them is in danger, the others will do almost anything to keep them safe."

"Which is exactly how we caught Morro." Wrayth spoke up.

"Right." the red-haired man agreed. "When faced with the prospect of his girlfriend being captured, he gladly surrendered himself. The same should go for Lloyd."

"It's worth a shot, I suppose." the Overlord muttered thoughtfully. "Chen, how do we get to this island of yours?"

"We can take a paddleboat from the pier on the east side of the city."

"Alright." the Overlord glanced towards the windows, noting the early morning light streaming through them. "A pity we lost the Changeling stone. I can't go out in broad daylight looking like this. I"d cause a panic. And as much as I'd like to, that would reveal us too soon."

"Then we wait until nightfall?" Soul Archer asked. The Overlord nodded.  
"Until then, we should compose a message of some sort to notify the ninja of our plan to trade."

"I can send them an e-mail." Chen suggested. The Overlord narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What's an e-mail?"

"Seriously?" the red-haired man laughed. "Oh yeah, that's right. You came before the age of technology. E-mail means electronic mail." he pulled a smartphone from his pocket and began typing on it. After a minute, he walked over to Morro and snapped a picture of him. "He's asleep." the former noodle tycoon remarked. "Just as well. They'll probably think we knocked him out or something."

"How would they know?"

"I took a picture."

"Oh." the creature of darkness shook his head. "How will it get to them?"

"Eh, it should lonly take a quick search to find their email addresses... aha! Sent!" the red-haired man grinned, stowing his phone back in his pocket. "They'll get it in a minute or so."

"And then what?" Soul Archer asked. "What did you tell them to do?"

"I told them to reply, agreeing to comply, and I would tell them where to find him."

"Good." the Overlord nodded. "Which is where?"

"Somewhere in the labrynth below my temple. Yes, I have a labrynth, and yes, I have a temple!" he snapped at the Overlord and Soul Archer's incredolous faces. "What?! I got bored staying in exile for 15 years!"

"...whatever." the ghost archer shook his head. "We're not actually giving them Morro, right?"

"Of course not.a" the Overlord agreed, ignoring Bansha's shocked stare. "He's too great an advantage to lose."

"I can't believe you." Bansha threw her hands in the air and walked away, sitting down beside Morro.

"She has a soft spot for him." Soul Archer muttered. "I used to trust her, but, now, not so much."

"Same." Chen nodded. "Especially since she insisted on freeing that girl. I'm not even sure if she's on our side anymore."

"Oh, she is." Wrayth cut in. "If she wasn't, she'd have freed Morro by now. But she might soon. She's slipping."

"Agreed. Keep an eye on her, Wrayth." Soul Archer ordered. The chain master nodded.

"I'll do my best." he turned to look at his partner, who was talking with the captive wind master.

"Right. Now all we have to do is wait for the ninja to reply." Chen remarked after a moment. The Overlord nodded and the warehouse descended into uneasy silence.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Let me go."

"You _know_ I can't." Bansha stared at the floor, ignoring Morro's attempts to meet her eyes.

"You can. You just choose not to." the wind master said quietly.

"The Overlord would _kill_ me!" the female ghost argued, taking care to not let the others hear her. "No, worse. He would infect me with Dark Matter and I'd be forced to serve him."

"You're already forced to serve him."

"But at least now I have free will." Bansha hugged her knees to her chest, her injured leg protesting slightly. Morro was silent for a moment before speaking again.

'You could come back to the Monastery with me. Join our side."

"No. They all hate me."

"They all hated me when Lloyd first brought me there. They'll warm up to you."

"Stop trying to change my mind!" she hissed, her slightly-raised voice attratching Wrayth's attention. "I'm not going to let you go!" she said, lowering her voice back down to a whisper. Morro sighed and looked down at the ground.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you be?"

"I _am_." Morro looked up at her again."They're going to infect me too, aren't they?" Bansha turned away, avoiding his gaze. "Aren't they?"

"Yes." She answered at last.

"Then you know how important it is for me to escape! They're only keeping my like this to get Lloyd here, right? Once they have him, I'm only good to them as a weapon. They'll turn Lloyd and I evil. Or kill him." he pauased for a moment and his face was unreadable. "You can't be ruled by fear." he said after a few moments. "That's how the Overlord works."

"How do you know so much about the Overlord?" she muttered.

"Lloyd's memories."

"Well, I don't have a choice." Bansha folded her arms.

"Yes you do. We've been over this."

"Well I _won't_."

"Bansha-" Morro started, but Bansha cut him off.

"No. I'm not letting you go." the female ghost stood up and walked away, leaving the chained wind master to stare after her. He was right, of course. But she just didn't have the courage to fight back.

* * *

 **Wow. Bansha's in a tight spot. :c**

 **Me: Okie dok! Time for questions! Kai, you are getting some whether you like it or not.**  
 **Dark Kai: %$!#.**  
 **Me: LANGUAGE! SERIOUSLY! Ugh. Okay. First question is for Lloyd, from Windy. "WHAT ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW THAT MORRO IS TAKEN TOO!? I COULD NEVER IMAGINE THAT! I WANT TO BE THERE WITH YOU AND GIVE YOU A HUG! I'm very truly sorry if that makes you uncomfortable."  
** **Lloyd: It's alright. I could probably use a hug. Um... I'm kinda freaked out and really worried about him.  
Windy: Aww. :( *hugs*  
Me: The next question is also from Windy, for KAI. "Doesn't it make you sad that you're evil and are willing to hurt your best friends?!"  
Dark Kai: Ha! No way.  
Me: *death glare*  
Dark Kai: Stop it. That's creepy.  
Me: NEVER! Anyway. The next 2 questions are from Windy too. For Lloyd, "Do you still like candy? Do you get a sugar rush? I do."  
Lloyd: Haha yeah... I just got over that cotton candy I ate earlier. ^ ^'  
Me: I think I got a sugar rush once... not sure. I do know I start talking at x2 speed. For Morro, "Do you love your Diamond sword!? It's made of freakin diamonds!"  
Morro: My... what?  
Me: Watch this.  
Morro: ...that never happened.  
Me: I know. It's a fan video.  
Morro: It's... funny.  
Me: Good to hear. Okay! Next question is from The Pink Ninja, for Lloyd. "Did you know that people ship you and Cole and you and Nya online?"  
Lloyd: Um... yeah... I knew about Cole, but I didn't know people ship me with Nya. That's really weird.  
Dark Kai: It's worse when they ship her with me.  
Lloyd: ...I guess. At least no one ships you with your dad. Or do they?  
Dar Kai: I don't know.  
Me: Yeah, LloydXGarmadon is gross. Anyway! Next is from BinxAngelo13, for Lloyd. "Do you have a GF?"  
Lloyd: Um... what does that mean?  
Me: GF means girlfriend.  
Lloyd: Um... no! I mean, I don't officially have a girlfriend! I, um...  
Me: You're bluuuuuuushiiiiiiing~  
Lloyd: Shush!  
Me: We have one last "question" from ElvenPrincess. For the Overlord, "Turn Lloyd evil with dark matter".  
Overlord: Gladly.  
Dark Lloyd: What just happened?  
Dark Kai: You got turned evil. COME JOIN ME!  
Dark Lloyd: SURE!  
Windy: This is bad.  
Me: Yep. I'll change him back in a minute.  
Overlord; Hey!  
Me: Shush! Anyway, since we're out of questions - Lloyd stop breaking things - I will see you all next time. Hope you have a good Easter! Love you all!  
**

 **~FFF**


	11. Actual Chapter 2016

**APRIL FOOOOOOOOOLS! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahem. Sorry about that. I'd do review replies, but I'm in the middle of a very important project and thought you'd like to see what actually happened first. Sorry.** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **(most of it's the same btw)**

* * *

Chapter 11

Lloyd was awoken by a buzzing near his head. Opening his eyes, he blinked rapidly in the morning light as his eyes adjusted to the brightness streaming through the windows. It was mid-morning, if the light was any indication. After Indigo had woken him up the previous night, he had alerted everyone of Morro's kidnapping and they had spent a few hours trying to work out a way to save him. Ultimately, though, none of their hypothetical plans would have worked because they had no idea where he was being held or how to contact the Overlord. Around dawn, Lloyd's father had finally insisted they get some sleep, as none of them were going to come up with any amazing ideas while they were all sleep deprived. Though he was really worked up about Morro and the Overlord, apparently he had fallen asleep since he had just woken up. The buzzing sounded again and he looked over to see his cell phone vibrating. Lloyd sat up slowly, reaching over and grabbing his phone and unlocking it. The instant the email came up on the screen, his face paled.

 _"Hello Lloyd! You might have noticed that your little ghost friend is missing. Well, we've got him! We'll give him back of course, under one minor condition. Give yourself up to the Overlord and we'll set him free. See you soon! ;) -Master Chen"_ A ransom demand. Him for Morro. A picture attatched showed Morro, in chains, slumped up against a grey wall. His eyes were closed. Had they knocked him out? Or maybe he was just asleep. Either way, he needed to show this to the others. Sliding out of bed, he took his phone and ran out of the room to find the other ninja.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"This can't be our only option." Zane looked around the table at the others. "We know it's a trap. Even if we do give them Lloyd, they'll probably just infect them both."

"Of course." Cole agreed. The remaining inhabitants of the Garmadon Monastery were once again in the dining room, discussing possible ways to get Morro back. "And we absolutely cannot lose Lloyd. He's our only chance of turning those infected back to normal. Right, Lloyd?"

"Right." The green ninja nodded. "The only source of Golden Power other than myself is the Golden Armor, and no one but the Overlord can touch that without dying instantly."

"Lloyd, you know that picture of Morro they sent you?" Gin spoke up suddenly.

"Yeah," Lloyd nodded, glancing at his phone, which was lying on the table. "What about it?"

"What if it's faked? What if they already infected him and altered the picture somehow to make it look normal?"

"Good point." the blond boy frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. How can they prove that he's normal?" There was silence in the room for a few moments before Jay spoke up brightly.

"Have them call you! And infected person's voice sounds weird, right? If he sounds normal, then he's still fine."

"I guess." Lloyd nodded slowly. "But, wait. Kai impersonated himself with success. Won't Morro be able to do the same?"

"He didn't _act_ much like himself. He almost took off my arm!" Jay raised a hand, gesturing to his bandaged shoulder. "Pay attention to his tone, and how he acts."

"Alright." Lloyd picked up his phone and tapped out a reply on it.

 _"How do I know you haven't infected him already? Call me so I can hear him."_ Sent. "They're probably waiting for my answer, so it won't take them long to reply." the others nodded and the room descended into uneasy silence.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

The entire room jumped when Lloyd's phone buzzed a few minutes later. The green ninja quickly picked it up and unlocked it.

 _"Ha! Don't trust me, do you? Well, that's logical enough. I'd call you, but I don't have your number. Send it to me, will you?"_ Lloyd read out loud,

"How did he email you then?" Cole asked with a frown.

"I have no idea." Lloyd shook his head, tapping out another email with his number in it. He sent it, and, almost a minute later, hia phone rang. Chen. Slightly nervously, Lloyd pressed _answer_ and held the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Ah, the master of power! It's been so long since I've seen you!" Chen's voice crackled through the speakers and Lloyd winced at his loud voice,

"You can't see me now." he muttered in annoyance, setting the phone on speakerphone and holding it away from his ear.

"Ah, but I will soon, won't I?" Chen laughed smugly. "Anyway. You wanted to talk to our prisoner, right? Well, here he is!" Silence. "Well? Talk!"

"Morro?" Indigo spoke up tentatively from behind Lloyd. There was silence for a few seconds longer before Morro's voice finally came through the phone.

"Lloyd, whatever you do, don't come."

"Morro! Are you alright? Is the Overlord there?" Lloyd's next words came out in a rush as he hoped Chen would continue to let Morro speak.

"I'm-" the wind master started, but Chen spoke over him.

"Wasn't that enough proof?" the former noodle tycoon demanded, Morro's voice fading into the background.

"He only said one thing," Jay said indignantly nearby. "How do we know he's not just faking it, like Kai was? Let him talk!" Chen was silent for a few moments as someone spoke in the background before muttering,

"Fine." A moment later, Lloyd heard Morro's voice again.

"I'm fine. Just chained so I can't use my powers. And yes, the Overlord's here. So are Soul Archer, Bansha, Wrayth, and you already know about Chen. There was someone else here, a g-"

"Alright that's enough!" Chen snapped. Lloyd heard a rattle of chains and Morro hissed in pain. "Bansha, get over here and keep him quiet." there was a pause in which the female ghost said something indistinct in the background. "That was an _order_! Do as I say! Alright _ninja_ ," the red-haired man sneered, "though the ghost has insisted you don't comply to our demands, I would recommend not following his advice. Even if we don't infect him, there are plenty of..." he paused, probably for dramatic effect. " _other_ things we can do to keep his stay intresting. I'll let you use your imagination." With that, the line went dead and the ninja were left listening to a dial tone.

"Uh oh." Jay spoke up, breaking the stunned silence.

""Uh oh'"is right." Zane nodded gravely. "We're in quite a situation, aren't we? If Lloyd doesn't give himself up, unspeakable things could be done to Morro."

"Like what?" Indigo asked faintly.

"Torture."

"Well I really doubt they'd do that." Lloyd said hurriedly as a look of horror came over the ghost girl's face. "They could kill him by mistake, and he'd be able to easily make his way back to us from there. They'd lose their leverage."

"But we can't take that change!" Indigo insisted. Lloyd opened his mouth to reply, but Gin spoke over him.  
"How do we know that wasn't all an act? We still can't prove it's really him."

"I know how Morro sounds. He couldn't fake that." the blond boy shook his head.

"How do you know?" Cole asked?

"Because he was inside my _head_ for a month!" Lloyd snapped. There was silence for a few moments following his outburst as everyone tried to think of something to say. Before anyone came up with anything, though, a loud knock sounded on the Monastery's front door.

"I'LL GET IT!" Jay yelled after a moment, then ran out of the room.

"Tara and Clouse, maybe?" Zane suggested. The ninja had contacted them and Ming the previous day, asking for their assistance.

"Maybe, but it seems a bit soon." Lloyd frowned. "Maybe Jess-"

"WHOA! Who are YOU?" Jay's loud voice cut him off and everyone in the room looked in the blue ninja's direction. A quiet, low voice said something the green ninja couldn't make out and Jay said, "Oh sure! He's right over here." Footsteps grew louder as they approached the dining room, and a minute later they entered, Lloyd's eyes widening in surprise at the stranger's bizarre appearance. It was a girl, who looked like she was about his age. She had messy, short, black hair with shaggy bangs that fell over the right side of her face. She wore a lime-green hoodie and black jeans and black-rimmed glasses. What was most striking about her appearance, though, was the eye patch that covered her right eye, underneath her hair and glasses. Her other eye was cyan, making it stand out on her otherwise dark face. "She says she needs to see you, Lloyd." Jay spoke up as the girl glanced around the room with mild interest. When the lightening master spoke, the girl followed his gaze to Lloyd.

"Lloyd Garmadon?" the girl addressed him. Lloyd nodded and she took a step towards him. "My name is Lea Shun. I have some information for you about the Overlord."

* * *

 **OH MY GOSH AN OC btw don't automatically assume she's evil just because she killed everyone last chapter.**

 **Anyway like I said very busy sorry BYE**

 **~FFF**

 **P.S. I'll just leave the April Fools chapter up for now in case anyone missed it**


	12. I currently have no chapter title

**NYAH! WHY CAN'T I UPDATE FASTER?! :C**

 **Review replies(prolly really long cause it's been 3 chapters since I did this ;_;)**

 **BinxAngelo: I know, right? ;)**

 **Nurse Medusa: Lol I'm glad you liked it. xD I really like Lea's name btw. It's really cute and fun to say. ^ ^ Happy Easter!**

 **Starry-eyed ninja: Wait... shark? What shark? *hides* All incest ships are gross. |:P So, um, Lea, who showed up last chapter, is ALSO the Master of Animals, so maybe Kloey could be a shapeshifter...? Sorry I didn't warn you about this sooner, I kept forgetting. :P And yes, Kloey has been doing a good job with reviews. xD**

 **Rosalinawysteria92: Aww, thanks! ^ ^**

 **1234: Good to hear people like her. I'll do my best... haha yeah, it was a prank. Obviously.**

 **Petal: Oh no. :( I'm so sorry. If she was a Christian, she is in Heaven. Was she?**

 **Samantha: Sorry if I freaked you out. No harm was meant. ^ ^'**

 **Windy: HEY! THAT'S MY CANDY! GIVE IT BACK! *chases you* Don't eat too much candy, you'll feel sick. I am speaking from personal experience here... XP**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: She's doing her best. ^ ^**

 **Count Raptor: *facepalm* you and your puns. Also, GOOD ENDING?! You WANT them all to die?! Either that or you realized it was a prank and are messing with me. One or the other.**

 **Leb: I saw the 7th Star Wars movie (srry I don't remember the name lol) a couple days ago, and it's my favorite out of all of them. I really loved it. ^ ^ BB-8 is so CUTE! *screams* Anyway, I'm looking forward to watching The Clone Wars, as soon as my Mom approves it. ^ ^**

 **Lilly: Technically Bansha did "steal" Morro, if you count literally kidnapping him and chaining him to a wall...** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **KRR: "Awesome chapter"? And why did you review twice? Is someone impersonating you?**

 **The Pink Ninja: That was the intended effect. xD lol, your story is pretty funny. I'm looking forward to reading the whole thing. ^ ^**

 **Sweetfierce: Gotta watch that autocorrect. It might turn "Bansha" into "Banana". Which it actually did. xD**

 **I think I got all of them. Hopefully. Sorry if I missed anyone's review!**

* * *

Chapter 12

"His hideout is here." Lea pointed to a spot on the map, a cluster of rectangular buildings on the west side of the city. "In one of these warehouses. I'm not sure exactly which one."

"And you were held there?" Lloyd marked the spot with a red marker.

"Yes."  
"Why did he capture you?"

"I'm an elemental master. That's the only reason I can think of."

"Really?" Lloyd looked up at her in surprise. "What's your element?"

"Animals. I can use the abilities of animals, as well as summoning animal forms made from pure elemental power to protect me."

"Cool. So, like, you can use a bird's ability to fly?"

"Among other things, yes. I can also use the heightened hearing of a cat, the sure-footedness of a goat, things like that." the black-haired girl nodded.

"Okay. So, when you were in the Overlord's base, did you hear their plans?" Lloyd asked hopefully.

"Some of them." she nodded. "They're using your friend as bait to try to get you to surrender. You should already know that, though."

"Yeah..." Lloyd sighed. "We were talking to him, my friend, right before you got here. It's..." he frowned. "it's weird he didn't mention you."

"I'm sure he saw me." Lea shrugged.

"Oh, wait. Chen cut him off at some point. I think Morro was about to reveal something Chen didn't want us hearing. That could be you."

"Maybe he was too embar***ed to admit that I'd escaped." she grinned. "But, about your friend..." she paused, her smile fading. "...Morror, was it?"

"Morro." Lloyd corrected her.

"Right. Well, I don't think you have any choice but to surrender. I mean... I know what they're capable of. They didn't hurt me," she added quickly at Lloyd's shocked expression. "but I've heard stories of Chen's cruelty, which is nothing compared to the Overlord. He has no feelings. Except maybe rage." Leas shook her head. "if you really care about your friend..." Lloyd stared down at the map on the table in front of him, his shoulders slumping. He had been clinging to the hope that Morro might escape, or maybe that they could rescue him, but now...

"Well, wait." he frowned, straightening up. "We know where he is now. We should be able to go and rescue him, shouldn't we?" he looked up at Lea hopefully. She frowned in concentration.

"Wait, I just remembered something." she said at last. "They said they were going to move their base to a new location. An island somewhere."

"Oh." Lloyd said dully. After a few moments of silence, they were both startled when Lloyd's phone buzzed. The green ninja opened it to see a new message from Chen.

 _"Well? Were you convinced or not? You know what will happen to him if you don't surrender!"_ Lloyd stared at the phone for a few long seconds, then, slowly, began to type out a message.

 _"Alright. I surrender. Tell me where to meet you."_

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"HA!" Chen's shout jarred Morro from his light sleep, and the ghost raised his head to see the red-haired man grinning triumphantly at his phone. "It worked! Lloyd surrendered!" No! Morro stared helplessly at the ground. This was all his fault. If he had fought harder, if he had escaped when he had the chance, Lloyd wouldn't be in this mess. They were going to lose, and it would be all his fault.

"Don't blame yourself." He looked up at Bansha's voice to see the female ghost floating over to him. "It was inevitable that the Overlord would win. That's why I took his side."

"If you had sided with us, he might not have." the wind master gave her a dirty look before staring back down at the ground.  
"I'm _sorry_ , alright?!" she sounded offended. "I'm not strong enough to oppose him by myself!"

"You are not by yourself. If you freed me, I would help you escape." he looked up at her again. "You still have that choice. Please, let me go. I can stop this."

"No." she turned away stubbornly.

"If he wins, he will transform everyone into his slaves! You can't escape that by becoming his slave now!"  
"I am _not_ his slave!" she hissed angrily.

"Oh? You're following his every order without pay or hope of escape. Sounds like you're a slave to me."

"I-" she started angrily, but stopped. She was silent for a few long moments before finally speaking. "You're right..." she was still for a few moments longer before nodding her head slowly. "Alright. I'll free you." After a few moments hesitation, Bansha bent down next to him and reached towards the black chains on his wrists.

" _Bansha!_ " the two in the corner jumped at Wrayth's loud voice, and Bansha spun around as the older ghost floated towards them. " _What_ are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Making sure his chains are tight." she lied smoothly. "I saw him messing around with them earlier."

"Hmph. Well, alright. Get over here, you need to be present while we talk about our latest plans."  
"You don't get to order me around. I'm a Major." Bansha straightened up, folding her arms crossly.

"Well the _General_ told me to come over and get you, so get. Over. There."

"Fine." Bansha followed the chain master reluctantly, giving Morro a helpless glance over her shoulder as she floated away. Morro sighed softly, silently wondering when he and Lloyd were supposed to trade. Would Bansha have another chance to free him? He was sure that by now Wrayth suspected her, and he would be sure to keep an eye on her from now on. If he wasn't already. Morro closed his eyes, praying silently that they would be able to pull this off. That the Overlord, somehow, would lose. Opening his eyes, Morro strained to hear what they were talking about. Maybe it would come in handy later.

"...can chain him to one of the posts in my dungeon." Chen was saying.

"Why do you have poles in your dungeon?" Soul Archer asked.

"I used to chain prisoners I wanted to get rid of there, then Clouse's pet snake would eat them." Morro shuddered at that. That was a nasty way to die.

"I hope the snake isn't there anymore." Bansha spoke up.

"Nah. The ninja killed it."

"Pity." The Overlord shook his head. "I thought it might have made a valuble ***et. When are you going to reply to Lloyd's email?"

"Once we know exactly where we're going to put him." there was a pause as Chen gestured towards him. "Then we'll tell him – Lloyd, I mean, - to come to my island, to the dungeons, _alone_. If we see anyone else with him, we'll infect Morro on the spot."

"And then when he comes, we'll trap him and infect them both, correct?" the Overlord continued.

"Yes." Morro clenched his teeth angrily at Chen's casual reply, staring down at the ground. The coward! How dare he?! His inner rant was cut off when the door to the warehouse opened and Ghoultar entered the enormous room.

"Ghoultar has found it." the grey ghost bellowed as he floated towards the Overlord. Morro looked up at him as he p***ed, trying to see what he held. But it was too small to see, apparently.

"Good." the Overlord rasped triumphantly, gesturing to the table in front of him. "Put it here." Ghoultar set the object down on the surface with a soft _clunk_ and backed away, finally allowing Morro to get a good look at it. But, even as he did, he was confused, for the only thing on that table was a shiny, golden, teapot.

* * *

 **I'm pretty sure everyone knows what that means. Unless someone hasn't seen Season 6. Has that aired yet?**

 **Me: Kay, time to do questions and stuff.  
Dark Lloyd: Yay.  
Me: You're worse than Kai. I'm turning you back.  
Lloyd: Hey! What just happened?!  
Me: It's complicated and not my fault. Anyway, today's first question is from Rosalinawysteria92. That is really hard to type. Anyway, for Morro, "what is your deepest, darkest secret?"  
Morro: I absolutely refuse to answer that.  
Me: You have to.  
Morro: IT'S CALLED A SECRET FOR A REASON!  
Me: So? You still have to.  
Morro: NO.  
Me: Well you're not allowed to talk until you do. Have fu with that!  
Morro: !  
Me: The next question, still from the Rosalina and for Jay, "Do you like pie?"  
Jay: Yeah! I love pie! Who doesn't?  
Me: My brother.  
Jay: Uh.  
Me: Next question is from Samantha, for Lloyd. "Do you own a battle axe? And if so, can I borrow it? I need it for my "meeting" with the OVERLORD. ;-) ;-)"  
Lloyd: I don't, sorry. But Jessica has one.  
Jessica: Hoi!  
Me: Kay. So, a "question" from Lilly, for everyone but Kai. "the first one to kick kai between the legs get $100 i hate u kai." If KRR kills you, don't blame me.  
Morro: ...  
Me: Anyone?  
Dark Kai: Ha! Too scared to face my wra- OWWWWWWWW!  
Bansha: No. Shut up.  
Me: And the prize goes to Bansha! Speaking of which, there's a question for you. Unless there's someone here named Banana.  
Bansha: Huh?  
Me: "I have a question for Banana."  
Bansha: ...okay. Who is it from and what is it?  
Me: Sweetfierce, "Why do you have soft spot for Morro?" and another, "are you jealous of Indigo?"  
Bansha: ...because we became friends when he lost his memory.  
Me: If you haven't read Forgotten, you should now.  
Bansha: And I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH MORRO! WHY IS EVERYONE SO DETERMINED TO SHIP US?!  
Lloyd: Bansha, stop yelling at the reviewers...  
Bansha: DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!  
Me: The last question is for Morro, from Sweetfierce. Bansha, could you leave the room for a minute?  
Bansha: ...fine.  
Me: It's, "Do you have feelings for Bansha?"  
Morro: ...  
Me: Oh right, the silence thingy. Ready to tell everyone your greatest secret yet?  
Morro: NO. But to answer the question, yes, I do have feelings for her, but not romantic ones.  
Me: *applauds* Good answer.  
Morro: ...  
Me: Kay, so, since we're done, I just have one more thing to say. In case anyone cares, I am on Tumblr, under the same username. If you like, you could come over and watch me reblog random Ninjago/Miraculous Ladybug/Star Wars/Terraria stuff and occasionally rek some trolls who have nothing better to do than to try to ruin my life. ^ ^ Also, here's an amusing fanfiction in which Morro is an idiot and Indigo makes a guest appearence. ****s/11887244/1/Diamond-s-dare-show-ninjago Have fun with that. See you around~**

 **~FFF**


	13. Failure

**WOW I ACTUALLY POSTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIKE 2 WEEKS**

 **yeah 2 weeks seems about right**

 **I am sooooooooooo sorry I am so late. :c Between schoolwork, planning for a trip, yard work, illness, and general laziness, I couldn't seem to make it happen. TnT I have to leave in about 45 minutes to go to Youth Group, so I'm not going to do many review replies... if I didn't reply to you, sorry! :c**

 **Hopefully short (but will probably not be) review replies:**

 **Nurse Medusa: Season 6 has not happened, no. So they have no warning... mwahahahaha... thanks! She reminds me of Tara from RttCR. I really liked writing her, and I really like writing Lea too. ^ ^**

 **The Pink Ninja: What's a PSSA? Is it something to do with school? Also, Sweetfierce wants to know when your story is coming out.**

 **Petal: I really don't know where she will go. If she believed that Jesus died on the cross for us, then she's definitely in Heaven. Otherwise... I don't know. And I don't think Hell is really filled with fire, like it is shown as in stories. A speaker at my church says that Hell is more like a huge, empty world without God. The fire is just an analogy.**

 **KRR: You OCs are really good at hacking KRR's laptop...**

 **That was actually pretty short. wow**

* * *

Chapter 13

Lloyd lay on his bed with his head propped up on hand as he tried to focus on the comic book in front of him. Uncle had told him to try to keep his mind off the Overlord for a little while, to try to let his mind rest for a bit, but he couldn't stop thinking about what he had done. Even though Chen was the enemy, Lloyd still felt bad about lying to him. He wasn't sure if it was morally right or not. Of course he wasn't _really_ going to give himself up to the Overlord without a fight. Hopefully, once he got close enough to wherever they were holding Morro. He could blast the ghost free with his powers and they could escape. He hadn't told the others this. He hadn't even told them that he had surrendered yet. He would have immediately, but he didn't trust Lea. Not completely, anyway. Chen's cutting Morro off had made him suspicious. Why would Chen keep Morro from telling them that a prisoner had escaped? What if she wasn't a prisoner at all, but a spy for them? Or maybe he was just overthinking it. Maybe Chen didn't want them to know because he thought they would try to find her to get information on their plans. Which is what she did. Or maybe Morro wasn't talking about her at all, maybe he was trying to tell them about someone else. Ghoultar, maybe?

"Psst." Lloyd jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see where it had come from. There was no one in the room. Was he imagining things? "Psst! Lloyd!: the voice came again.

"Huh?" he looked up, frowning in confusion. "Hello?"

"It's me." it sounded like Indigo's voice. But where was she?

"Where are you? I can't see you."

"I wouldn't expect you to." her voice was coming from the other side of the room now.

"Why? Are you in the wall?" the green ninja asked, growing more confused by the moment.

"Nope! I'm right in front of you!" she replied cheerfully.

"Then- what?!" he was about to say more, but stopped short as Indigo materialized next to the bed, a smug grin on her face. "How did you do that?!" he demanded.

"Sensei Wu taught me how to turn invisible!" she said excitedly. "I can go anywhere without people seeing me! I can do, like, anything!" Lloyd stared at her in shock for a few minutes before replying.

"...whoa." he shook his head. "Can Cole do that?"

"Yeah. Do you know what this means?!"

"What?"

"I can spy on the Overlord!" Lloyd only hesitated for a moment before replying.

"No."

"Why not?!" She demanded, her face falling instantly.

"It's too dangerous. If they somehow caught you, they'd have even more leverage against Morro. And us."

"There's no way they could catch me! I'm a _ghost_!"

"At least three of them are ghosts too! If you accidently became visible, and they saw you, you might not get away in time to avoid them!" she opened her mouth to protest further, but he cut her off. "Don't argue. I have a plan, alright?" she paused.

"You do?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"I told Chen I'm going to give myself up, but I'm not. When I go to wherever they're holding Morro, I'm going to demand they let him go, then we're going to make a run for it. Maybe... since you and Cole can turn invisible, you can back me up."

"Okay. I guess it's better than nothing." Indigo muttered dejectedly. "It'd be better if I could spy on them, though."  
"Actually, I might be able to find someone to do that." Lloyd said thoughtfully after a moment.

"Who?"

"You'll see." Lloyd swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up with a grin on his face. "I just got a really good idea."

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Morro rubbed his sore wrists as Bansha pulled the cuffs away, thanking her with a silent nod. As he stood up, Wrayth grabbed his arm and snapped another cuff on it, the same material as the chains Bansha had just removed. Bands of Deepstone and Vengestone. At least he could move his arms now. After a moment, Bansha took him by the arm and led him out of the warehouse, Wrayth soon following. Under the cover of night, the Overlord and his minions were moving to Chen's island, their new base, via a boat they had borrowed (stolen). Fortunately for Morro, Chen had thought that neutralizing his powers was enough security for the trip to the docks. This might be an opportunity for him to escape. However, he would have to take out Wrayth and Ghoultar to do so, since they were positioned around him in such a way that was intended to keep him from escaping. Wrayth wouldn't be hard to beat, if caught by surprise, but Ghoultar was considerably stronger and held no concern for his own well being, since he was under the Overlord's control. The wind master was honestly a bit afraid of Ghoultar, due to an incident where the scythe master attacked him while he was injured and unarmed. He was even more alarming now, with his deathly-grey skin and glowing purple eyes. At least he wouldn't have to fight Bansha, since she was on his side. He thought. It was... possible that she was tricking him. Morro pushed those thoughts away, trying to concentrate on how to make his escape. As far as he knew, they had no long-range weapons, so once he got far enough away they had no chance of catching him. Unless they threw something at him and hit him. But then, Bansha had to come with him, preferably in a way that made it look like it was against her will or that she was trying to catch him (in case they failed). If he was going to escape, he better do it soon. The docks were coming into sight. As inconspicuously as possible, Morro nudged Bansha with his elbow lightly. When she looked over at him, he whispered,

"In a few moments, I'm going to hit you and run. Wait a couple moments, then throw your sword at me, preferably without hitting me." she smirked at that. "Then run after me. We should be able to hide as soon as we're out of sight. Alright?" The female ghost hesitated before nodding almost imperceptibly. Morro then turned back to the path ahead, mentally counting down the seconds in his head. Three... two... one... Hopefully without warning, the wind master yanked his hand out of Bansha's grip and punched her – very lightly – sending her reeling backwards. Morro then dashed past Wrayth and ran towards a side street. Bansha's sword bounced off a building's wall, then he heard shouts. The Overlord must have noticed his escape. Morro turned down the street and ducked into an alley, annoyed that his glow was likely to give him away. He stayed there in silence for a few moments, panting softly as he tried to catch his breath, before Bansha came into view. "Over here," he called softly, catching her attention. The blade master ran into the alley with him, and they went farther into the darkness as the angry shouts grew closer.

"That was surprisingly easy." Bansha remarked.

"Yes," Morro agreed. "Now all we have to do is not get caught."

"Let's hide in here." Bansha suggested, phasing through the wall of the building next to them. Morro tried to follow her, but the shackle on his wrist caught on the wall and he hissed as his arm was twisted painfully. "Oh." Bansha frowned, stepping back out into the alley.

"...can you get this off?" the ghost boy asked, following her back out again.

"Maybe. I don't have the key, but maybe my sword..." She poked the sword's thin tip into the keyhole and fiddled with it for a minute. "Sorry." she said at last. "I can't-"

" _There_ you are." Morro's head whipped around at Wrayth's voice, and he felt a volt of alarm go through him as he saw Wrayth at the entrance to the alley, cutting off their only escape. "Well, well, well. I always knew you were on his side." the chain master addressed Bansha. "And don't try to deny it. I saw you trying to unlock his cuff. I guess the Overlord's going to have to infect you too, now, huh?"

"He won't get the chance." Morro muttered. "Bansha, run." he ordered, turning to the female ghost.

"No!" she argued instantly.

"I can't get away, but you can! And if you don't, he'll turn you into his mindless slave!"

"Where would I go?!"

"Go to the monastery! Tell them the Overlord's plans! You can still rescue me!"

"I told you already, they hate me! I'm not going there!"

"Then at least go away! You'll gain nothing by staying here. You can't help me if you're infected."

"You know I'm still standing here, right?" Wrayth asked dully. Morro ignored him.

" _Run_."

"No!" Bansha held up her sword in a defensive stance, trying to defend them if Wrayth attacked.

"Please!" Morro pleaded, grabbing her arm. "You can't win! Just go." The blade master's stance faltered for a moment, then dropped completely. Then, without another word, she phased through the wall and vanished. Wrayth looked furious. He couldn't guard him and chase Bansha at the same time. Angrily, Wrayth brandished his weapon, striking Morro with it and making him slam against the alley wall. What was that for?! Gingerly, Morro got to his feet, hoping he hadn't broken anything. Giving him a silent glare, Wrayth grabbed his wrist roughly and dragged him out into the main street, which was mostly deserted.

"I found Morro!" the chain master yelled, shoving him to the ground. Morro started to try to get up, but decided that Wrayth would probably just shove him back down and gave up. After a few moments, the Overlord, Chen, Soul Archer, and Ghoultar emerged from various alleys and side streets, heading towards the two ghosts in the center of the street. "Bansha tried to help him escape." Wrayth sounded disgusted. "She got away." the Overlord swore.

"If she gives away our plans to the ninja, we will be set back enormously." the creature of darkness snarled.

"I think she's too scared to. She always was a coward." Morro fought back the urge to take Wrayth's chain and strangle him with it.

"Put him back in chains." Chen ordered, gesturing to the ghost boy on the ground. "We need to hurry to the dock or we'll lose the cover of darkness." Wrayth nodded and yanked Morro to his fee, unlocking the single cuff on his wrist and chaining his wrists together with a different pair instead. Within minutes, they were walking again, as if the last ten minutes had never happened. The only difference was that, now, Bansha was no longer with them. She was free. Morro could only hope that she went to the monastery, that she warned the ninja before it was too late.

* * *

 **For the record, Morro and Bansha are still not in love. It's possible for a male and a female to be friends without being in love...**

 **Me: Hmm, I'm fairly sure we have some questions around here somewhere...  
Dark Lloyd: %$!.  
Me: DON'T SWEAR, YOU CLOD! THIS IS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHOW!  
Dark Kai: Whatever.  
Me: I'm seriously getting sick of you two.  
Diamond: I found the questions!  
Me: Oh yes, I forgot to introduce my new co-host, Diamond Ninjago. She's the one who wrote the fanfic I mentioned last chapter.  
Diamond: Hi!  
Me: Okay, time for questions. For starters, Samantha is here to chop off the Overlord's head.  
Samantha: Sup y'all.  
Overlord: Wait, what?!  
Me: I'm totally posting this on Youtube...  
Overlord: HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SWINGING THAT THING!  
Samantha: HOLD STILL, OVERDORK!  
Overlord: NEVER!  
Me: Hahaha, okay, maybe you should stop before you hit someone else...  
Samantha: Ugh, fine.  
Morro: ...  
Me: As you might have noticed, Morro is still not allowed to say anything until he reveals his greatest secret. Speaking of which, BinxAngelo's question for him is, "What is your darkest secret?" which is just about the same thing.  
Morro: THE REASON I FREAKIN' HAVE SECRETS IS SO PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THEM! I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OF THE SORT!  
Me: Then I guess you won't be doing much talking for the next few chapters~  
Morro: ...  
Me: Kay, the next question is- uh oh.  
Diamond: What?  
Me: From Sweetfierce, "Overlord, dark matter everyone! Even FFF! Everyone, don't worry. This will only be temporary.(Or will it? MUHHAHAMEW)"**  
 **Overlord: Gladly...  
Dark FFF: I suddenly feel like taking a sledgehammer to all the windows in my house.  
Dark Jay: HAHAHAHAHA! I'M NEVER TRAINING AGAIN! LIFETIME OF VIDEO GAMES, HERE I COME!  
Dark Sensei Wu: what  
Dark Zane: tHIs dOEs nOT cOMpuTE  
Dark Morro: WELL FINALLY I CAN TALK  
Dark Kai: JOIN US IN DESTROYING THE WORLD GUYS  
Dark Cole: HAHAHA YEAH  
Diamond: Unfortunately for the Overlord, he neglected to transform me. So I can just use my Author powers to...  
Lloyd: ...why does my head hurt so much...  
Me: That's the problem with dark matter. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
Dark Kai: Hey, I'M still evil.  
Me: That's because you are in the canon story.  
Dark Kai: Oh.  
Me: And... that is all the questions I have. Before I go, though, I have to say that I will be on vacation for all of next week (starting on Sunday) so I will almost certainly not be able to post, as I probably won't be able to bring my laptop. BUT, I might be able to post again this week, tomorrow or Friday. So look out for that. See you around~  
Ronin: WHY DOES EVERYONE STEAL MY CATCHPHRASE**

 **~FFF**


	14. In which people are mad bc no Morro

**I HAS RETURNED**

 **I swear, that week was the longest I've ever had. Does time go slower in Michigan or what? Anyway, happy mother's day. I probably should have written a one-shot or something for it, but I forgot. ^ ^'**

 **Review replies:**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Yeah, he just can't catch a break. :P**

 **Starry: I have heard bad things about exams... :/ I hope they went/are going well.**

 **Nurse Medusa: Aww, thanks! ^u^**

 **KRR: Your OCs are absolutely nuts. Also Hot Pepperoni is now my official nickname for Kai... xD I look forward to more OC vlog. :)**

 **Samantha: I can't kill him! He has to be my villain! Besides, I don't think you even can kill the Overlord... ^ ^'**

 **Diamond: You're welcome. :)**

 **Sweetfierce: Ahahaha... this is going to be good. The Pink Ninja says "I don't have an account yet, (still waiting!) but my birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, so maybe I will get an account for my birthday.** **But you'll be happy to know my story is 17 chapters long and still going! So WHEN I get an account, I will be able to update quick because I don't have to write more chapters and I have a lot of free time. So I will tell you when the story is posted. So... I don't really have much left to say, so see you around!"**

 **The Pink Ninja: Yiiiiiiiiikes... school is even more boring-sounding than I thought. xD Also why would you trick Ronin like that... TnT**

 **Rosalinawysteria92: I'm glad you like it. :D**

 **Petal: Well that's not a good idea. The whole point of following God is doing what he says. Making your own rules is not being faithful to him.**

 **Leb: Unfortunately, you don't get an update on Bansha this chapter... eheheheh. ^ ^' I have watched all the Star Wars movies now, including #7, and I have started on the Clone Wars. I really like it. :D I can't tell the clones apart, though. :P**

 **BinxAngelo: Morro never gets a break. I'm evil like that. *quietly sneaks away* And I guess a small secret is fine...**

 **Has anyone seen Windy recently? I haven't seen her in a while...**

* * *

Chapter 14

Lloyd lay on his bed in the darkness, staring up at the barely visible ceiling. It had been hours since he replied to Chen's message, but he hadn't gotten a reply. He was worried. What if it hadn't gotten to them? What if they were hurting Morro? He shuddered at the thought, rolling over only his side. What he had said earlier, about how they wouldn't because they might accidently kill him, was ti reassure himself as much as Indigo. It made sense, though. They couldn't risk losing their bait. Right? He still worried, though. Suddenly, the green ninja jumped at a tap on his window. The green ninja rolled over on his other side to see a dark sillhoette crouching on the roof outside his window, their features invisible due to the soft moonlight behind them. For a fleeting second, Lloyd thought it was Morro, but rationalization kicked in a moment later and he realized that the green glow, which clearly marked all ghosts, was missing. A hostile? But an enemy would never have knocked. So who...? Cautiously, Lloyd slid out of bed and charged a ball of light in his hands, revealing the face of the figure outside his window.

"Jessica!" he exclaimed, running over to the window and throwing it open.

"Hi!" the daredevil girl greeted him, hopping through the window and landing on her feet with a grin on her face. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. My parents didn't think it would be safe for me to help you fight, but I finally convinced them I'd be perfectly safe because I'm with you!"

"Me?" he asked in slight bewilderment.

"Yeah! You're brave, and strong, and like the most powerful person in all of Ninjago!" she threw her hands in the air to illistrate her point. "So, what exactly is going on again?"

"You remember the Overlord?"

"Yeah."

"He came back. And he's sort-of winning."

"Really?" Jessica's eyes widened. "Oh no. How?"

"Well, he teamed up with Soul Archer who has an army of ghosts under his command. He also teamed up with Chen, but I don't think he does much.

"Chen who?" the brunette frowned.

"Ah, he used to run a chain of noodle houses and an underground fighter operation. But then he got stuck in the Cursed Realm. We let him out of his cage, remember?"

"The guy with the ponytail or the other guy?"

"The other guy."

"Oh yeah, I remember him. I didn't like him.?" Jessica frowned. "And now I like him even less."

"Your opinion of him will get even worse when I tell you what he's done." Lloyd promised her.  
"I believe you."

"So, the first thing the Overlord did was capture Kai and turn him into his puppet with dark matter."

"Ack." Jessica winced.

"Exactly. He then sent Kai – who somehow changed his voice and appearence to give the illusion of being his normal self – to either capture me or kill me." Lloyd shuddered at the memory and Jessica scowled. "He failed, obviously. We locked Kai up in the Destiny's Bounty's brig – that's our flying ship,-" he added at her look of confusion. "and interrogated him, but he's refused to tell us anything. Then, two of Soul Archer's soldiers snuck into the monastery in the middle of the night and captured Morro. They're threatening to hurt him, or infect him like they did Kai, if I don't surrender myself to them."

" _What?!_ " Jessica looked up at him in shock. "You're not gonna do it, right?"

"Of course not." he assured her quickly. "I'm pretending to, though. I told Chen I'll come alone, but I'll actually have Indigo and Cole with me."

"Why them?"

"Ghosts can turn invisible. It's an ability they just discovered. Morro doesn't know how, though. At least, I think he doesn't..." Lloyd frowned for a moment. Morro was, at least, almost invisible at their first meeting in the museum. "But, anyway, I'm going to demand they let Morro go first before they can have me. If they're gullible enough to do it, we can just run and get out of there. But, if they don't, Indigo and Cole are going to sneak up while they're invisible and try to free Morro. He'll probably be chained, which will make freeing him difficult, but if they can pick the lock or break whatever he's chained to, we can pull it off." Lloyd bit his lip. "I hope."

"That sucks." Jessica sighed, looking at the ground. "And, if he wins, he'll infect the whole world, like he did the first time, right?"

"Probably... hey, um, the first time... were you transformed?" the green ninja asked hesitantly.

"I think, yeah." she nodded.

"What was it like? If you don't want to tell me, that's okay." he added quickly.

"It's fine." she smiled faintly. "I don't really remember most of it. I just remember it being dark. And I felt... angry."

"Oh." Abruptly, Jessica hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. Lloyd froze for a moment before awkwardly hugging her back.  
"Sorry," she said, pulling away with a grin on her face. "You just seem stressed."

"I am." he hesitantly returned her smile. "I probably needed that."

"That's what I thought." They were both silent for a few moments before Lloyd spoke again.

"There's one other thing. A couple days ago, a girl named Lea showed up here. She claims to have been the Overlord's prisoner, and gave us infromation on the Overlord and his plans."

"You said "claims"." the short brunette pointed out. "Does that mean you don't believe her?"

"Not completely. Her story makes sense, she's an elemental master so it makes sense that he would capture her, but something about her has been nagging at me. When Chen first demanded I surrender, Gin suggested that Morro might already be transformed, and was faking being normal like Kai was."

"What do you mean faking it? Did you see him?"

"Chen sent me a picture of him."

"Oh. Go on."

"So, Chen called me so we could talk to him – Morro – and we had a short conversation with him. But, eventually, Morro started to tell us about "someone else" when Chen cut him off. I think that person might have been Lea. What if she's working for the Overlord, and he was trying to warn us about her?"

"Does she seem evil?" Jessica asked.

"No, she seems really nice, if with a pessimistic outlook of the future. But I don't know if I can trust her..." The brown-haired girl was silent for a few moments, mulling over the situation.

"Well... you're going to have to make a choice." she said at last. "If you don't trust her, she shouldn't be in the monastery. If you do..." she shrugged. Lloyd was silent for a few moments before remarking,

"You're pretty insightful for your age."

"I'm like, three years older than you."

"True." the green ninja chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey, why'd you come in through my window?"

"I don't know. It's the middle of the night, so I thought no one would be awake to open the door." she shrugged. "Besides, climbing on roofs is fun."

"Heh. Right. You'll be staying here in the monastery, right?"

"If there's room."

"Plenty. You can stay with the students and Gin in their room, or you could take one of the empty rooms. Whichever you'd like.

"I'd rather have a room to myself. If I recall correctly, those two girls – Tess and Anna, I think? - are absolutely nuts. Though, to be fair, I'm pretty nuts too."

"You were close. It's Ness, not Tess, and yes, they're pretty crazy." the blond boy nodded. "Gin's fairily serious, especially for her age, though."

"True. But I'm used to sleeping on my own, being an only child." Jessica shrugged. "Where are these famous empty rooms?" Lloyd chuckled.

"I'll show you. Come on." he turned around and walked over to the door, opened it, then they walked out of the room and into the hall.

* * *

 **Pretty short and uneventful chapter. I was going to have an update on Bansha and/or Morro but I was too lazy. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I do have another chapter completely written out on paper, so I'll probably be able to update again... soon. I don't know.**

 **Me: So, once again, it is time for questions.  
Lloyd: I'm starting to dread these...  
Me: You're in luck this time, because Sweetfierce has put the Overlord on a LIGHT MATTER RAMPAGE! EVERYONE IS GOOD FOR THIS ONE CHAPTER!  
Kai: What the heck is going on here?  
Lloyd: You're back! *hugs*  
Morro: ...  
Me: Oh yeah, and Morro still can't talk. Now where did I put those questions...  
Diamond: Here you are!  
Me: Thanks. Okay, for starters, Sweetfierce DEMANDS that Morro tell us his DEEPEST DARKEST SECRET! OHHHH THE SUSPENSE!  
Morro: NO!  
Me: Have a cookie. Sweetfierce baked it.  
Morro: Um... thanks...?  
Me: Oh, and BinxAngelo said that it's okay if you just tell us a small secret.  
Morro: This cookie tastes funny...  
Me: Did I mention that it was baked with TRUTH SERUM?!  
Morro: HEY! *throws remaining cookie away*  
Me: TOO LATE! YOU ARE FORCED TO TELL THE TRUTH! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA  
Lloyd: I'm convinced by now that you're absolutely nuts.  
Me: Good assumption. Now, Morro, what is 2 + 2?  
Morro: 4.  
Me: AHA! IT WORKS! NOW TELL US A SECRET!  
Jay: IS THE GREEN IN YOUR HAIR MADE OF SEAWEED?!  
Morro: No.  
Me: JAY! THAT COUNTED AS A SECRET!  
Jay: Whoops.  
Morro: HA! Now I can talk again!  
Me: Dangit Jay...  
Jay: Sorry.  
Me: ...do we have any more questions?  
Diamond: One. ElvenPrincess asks, "Have any of you played Undertale?"  
Morro: Underwhat?  
Jay: Oh yeah! I love that game!  
Kai: You love ALL games.  
Jay: MOST games.  
Cole: Yeah, we've played it.  
Bansha: I've played it.  
Soul Archer: You have? When?  
Bansha: Recently.  
Ghoultar: GHOULTAR HAS PLAYED UNDERTALE!  
Bansha: I had to help him. A lot.  
Me: I bet. Anyone else?  
Indigo: What's a game?  
Me: I'll explain later. Since that's all the questions and this is getting really long, see ya arou-  
Ronin: STOP IT!**

 **~FFF**


	15. Storms

**So I realized yesterday that there's actually an episode in Ninjago Season 2 called Return of the Overlord... eheheh... AND WOW I'M ACTUALLY UPDATING TWICE IN ONE WEEK?!**

 **Review replies:**

 **Nurse Medusa: Yep! My grandparents live in southern Michigan, and we were staying with them for a week. You live in Michigan?**

 **SilverKunoichi: Indeed she will... don't worry, I'm working on that. ^ ^'**

 **BinxAngelo: Cookies that make you glow... now I've seen it all. xD**

 **Sweetfierce: Morro will have to be pretty clever to get around this one...**

 **Count Raptor: I guess you'll see. Hehehehehehehe...**

 **Starry/Kloey: I hope your exams went well... and Kloey, you make your first appearance in this chapter. It's a small one, but still. ^ ^**

 **KRR: Sorry Krissy, but you ARE absolutely nuts. Also, what color is "primrose", exactly? I looked it up and I got shades of white and purple and pink. Is it like a purple?**

 **Samantha: Wow, Windy and I aren't the only ones who ship them? YAY! :D**

* * *

Chapter 15

Morro leaned forward against the pillar on Chen's boat with his eyes closed, listening to Chen's faint voice as the former restaurant owner bored the others on the boat with tales of the Serpentine Wars. Since there was nowhere on the boat to chain him to the wall, Soul Archer had looped the chain of his cuffs around a support pillar and ***igned Ghoultar to guard him. He wished Wrayth had been sent to guard him instead. Ghoultar was creepy. All ghosts were, but the scythe master was even more so due to his infection by dark matter. Though, Wrayth had some sort of grudge against him for helping Bansha escape, so that wouldn't be ideal either. He wished Bansha were still here. Though he was glad she had escaped, and was hopefully with the ninja, he hated being all alone. There was no one here he could call his friend. Suddenly, Ghoultar grunted and Morro looked over his shoulder at him to see the tall ghost floating away, around the corner towards the others. Why did he leave? The Overlord must have called him away. Unfortunately, even without a guard he had no chance of escape. The pillar he was chained to was thick enough so that he could barely see his hands, and, even if he could, he still wouldn't be able to get his hands free. Picking locks was a skill he had learned as a child, but he needed a sharp or thin object. And even if he _could_ escape the cuffs, the boat was surrounded by water for as far as he could see. If he took off on his dragon in a random direction, he would likely tire out and fall in the ocean before coming even near land. Which, he reasoned, would be better than being used as bait to trap Lloyd.

"Pssst." Morro jumped at the whispered voice from above him, and looked up to the boat's ceiling above him to see a pair of ruby-red eyes staring at him from the darkness. As he blinked in surprise, the eyes' owner lept down from the ceiling, landing in front of him without a sound as she used her wings to slow her fall.

"Ni!" the ghost exclaimed softly as the shadeling queen grinned at him, flicking her tangled hair out of her face. "How did you get here?" he asked, returning her smile.

"I sssnuck aboard thisss boat before it launched. Are you hurt?"

"No," Morro shook his head. "I'm fine. What's going on at the monastery?"

"Lloyd's friend Jesssica arrived today."

"Okay."

"And Lloyd sssurrendered to the Overlord, in c***se you hadn't heard."

"I heard." Morro muttered, staring at the pillar in front of him.

"But it'sss a trick. He's bring Indigo and Cole to help free you."

"Why them?" the ghost boy asked, frowning.

"They can turn invisible."  
"Since when?"

"Recccently."

"Oh. Okay." Morro shifted slightly, trying to lessen the pressure of the cuffs on his wrists. "Can you get me out of these chains?"

"Let me sssee." Ni knelt down next to his cuffed hands and inserted a sharp claw into the keyhole. He felt her fiddle with it for a few tense minutes, Morro constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming. Suddenly, Ni pulled away as the cuffs abruptly popped open.

"You did it!" the ghost exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "Quick, we need to go. Do you know the way back to shore?" Ni didn't answer, but her ears perked up and she put a finger to her lips.

"Sssomeone's coming." she whispered after a moment. "We need to hide. Come on." Morro followed the shadeling as she led him into a dark corner. He wished he knew how to turn invisible like Cole and Indigo could, but, as it was, he was going to get caught in seconds. They would just have to flee.

"My glow will give us away." he whispered. "We need to get-" he stopped abruptly as Ghoultar turned the corner, spotting him instantly.

"MORRO HAS ESCAPED!" the scythe-wielder bellowed as Morro dashed away.

"Don't let him get off the boat!" Soul Archer shouted from nearby. The wind master tried to summon a gust of wind, but realized with a start that one Vengestone cuff was still attatched to his wrist. Oh no. If he could get to the side of the boat, though, he could jump into the sea and reappear back in the Cursed Realm. At least then the Overlord would have no leverage over Lloyd. Seeing Ghoultar look the other way for a moment, Morro sprinted towards the railing of the boat ten feet away. No one was near enough to catch him. He could make it. Suddenly, a scream pierced the air and the ghost boy spun around to see an arrow streaking through the air towards him. He dodged out of the way and it missed him. Unfortunately, he remembered too late the nature of Soul Archer's arrows and the returning projectile struck him in the shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground. As he struggled to get up, Morro caught a fleeting glimpse of Ghoultar raising his scythe before his head exploded with pain and he blacked out.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Bansha hovered behind a tree at the edge of the woods behind the Monastery, staring out at the building illuminated by the half moon. It would be so easy for her to just walk towards it, go inside, and tell the ninja the Overlord's plans like Morro wanted her to. But she was too scared. What if they attacked her? She couldn't take them on all at once. One of them was a water elemental, weren't they? What if they killed her? Wrayth was right. She was a coward. Sighing, the blade master turned around and floated back into the woods. She needed to find shelter before it started to rain.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Ni hissed in frustration as Morro was dragged back to the pillar and chained to it once again, this time with his back to it so he couldn't see his hands. That rescue attempt sure failed. Morro was chained up again, and this time he was unconscious so she couldn't escape with him. Not only that, but if she wasn't careful then she was going to end up captured too. Silently, Ni slunk through the shadows on the dark boat towards the stern. Once she got there, she could fly back in the opposite direction the boat was going. That should get her back to Ninjago. Suddenly, her foot hit something soft and she tripped, almost falling over. Hissing angrily, the shadeling queen looked down to see some sort of fluffy animal padding away. A cat? Whatever it was, it almost blew her-

"Hey! Who's that?!" Correction, it _did_ blow her cover. Ni hissed again as the ghost with the chain flung his weapon at her, missing and hitting the wall but revealing her to the others.

"Shoot it!" the Overlord rasped, and Ni took to the skies just in time to dodge the screaming, green arrow. Just as quickly, she dove for the seas below, hoping the water would destroy the arrow. It did. Ni held her breath, floating in the freezing water just beneath the surface. Hopefully they would think they shot her down. After almost a minute, Ni came up for air to see the boat a fair distance away from her. They weren't chasing her. Good. With some effort, as her wings were rather waterlogged, the shadeling beat her way out of the water and into the air. As long as she kept going straight, Ninjago should be directly in front of her. With a strong flap of her wings, the queen took off, hoping she could make it to the mainland before the oncoming storm hit. If she couldn't, she could be knocked out of the sky.

* * *

 **Pfft**

 **I keep getting your hopes up and still Morro never gets free.**

 ***laughs manically***

 **Me: So, we actually got a fair amount of questions today...  
Kai: Where are they?  
Me: Diamond has them.  
Diamond: Indeed I do. Not all of them are really 'questions', though...  
Me: Close enough. First off, from SilverKunoichi, for Lloyd, "SPOILER ALERT: Soon Gin will be aged to the same age as you."**  
 **Lloyd: Really?**  
 **Me: Yes.**  
 **Lloyd: Cool!  
Gin: Yay! Then I can help you guys kick butt!  
Me: Exactly. Second is from BinxAngelo, for Morro.  
Morro: ...okay.  
Me: She's offering you a cookie.  
Morro: Is it poisoned!?  
Me: Of course not! My reviewers wouldn't poison you. Just like, I don't know, the Overlord.  
Morro: ...alright...  
Me: While he eats that- OH NO!  
Morro: What?  
Me: THE REVIEWERS STILL ARE NOT SATISFIED! THEY MUST KNOW YOUR GREATEST SECRET!  
Morro: WHY?!  
Me: I don't know. By the way, what IS your greatest secret?  
Morro: ...why me...  
Me: Ahem. From Sweetfierce, "You are now in nder a certain spell to tell the truth, BUT it's modified to make you tell us your deepest darkest secrets. Yeah! Secrets! It's also to stop Jay from messing it up. In fact, Jay you are a now a Apple and the overlord will eat you! Zane we haven't heard from you in a while. But you don't have any questions so just randomly say Meap and Hi and Bye . Also Soul archer,Ghoultar, what in Ninjago are you doing in the questions Room!? You are now under spells. Soul archer you will actually shoot friendship arrows randomly so Kai can still be good. Ghoultar, you can speak properly now."  
Jay: I am a WHAT?!  
Me: Apple!  
Overlord: Tasty.  
Jay: HEY! WHAT THE HECK?! GUYYYYYS!  
Zane: Meap.  
Ghoultar: I say, my dear fellows, this is one of the most shocking question and answer times I have ever seen.  
Me: what the heck  
Zane: Hi.  
Soul Archer: FRIENDSHIP ARROWS?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  
Diamond: I can guarantee that she is not.  
Soul Archer: ...I hate you all.  
Me: Wait, isn't the Overlord still on a light matter rampage?  
Overlord: Uh oh.  
Me: CONGRATULATIONS, BAD GUYS! YOU ARE ALL GOOD NOW!  
Light Overlord: I feel strangely light-headed.  
Me: Was that a pun?  
Light Overlord: Yes.  
Me: Well, that's what happens when you eat Jay apples.  
Morro: NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, I REFUSE TO TELL YOU ANYTHING!  
Me: You have to. Magic spell.  
Morro: ...fine. My deepest darkest secret is-  
Light Soul Archer: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!  
Me: SHUT UP!  
Morro: ...my favorite food is shrimp.  
Me: ...  
Light Overlord: So, like, seafood?  
Morro: Yes.  
Light Overlord: And the sea can kill you?  
Morro: Yes.  
Light Overlord: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S HILARIOUS!  
Me: That actually is pretty funny.  
Morro: SHUT UP!  
Me: Okay... and this is super long. I think this just gets longer every time. :/ Anyway. See ya around!  
Zane: Bye.  
Ronin: WOULD YOU NOT STEAL MY CATCHPHR**

 **~FFF**


	16. DETERMINATION

**Great, now my posting schedule is all messed up... :/ I'll try to get back on track posting on Sundays.**

 **Review replies(the reviews aren't showing up like they should, so if I miss someone's I'm sorry):**

 **Nurse Medusa: There's actually quite a few elemental masters like that. .**

 **BinxAngelo: Yes, very spooky... heheheh...**

 **KRR: I can't read the whole review because the site's not showing your review. :( I guess if they fix it I'll be able to, but for now I can only see the first ten lines or so. :P**

 **Starry: Grades are for clods. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ You did your best, and that's what matters.**

 **Samantha: Of course it's not permanent. He's the OVERLORD. I can't leave him good. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **Sweetfierce: What's a furby?**

 **The Pink Ninja: Wow, that was a convenient time to post. ^ ^ I don't have ANY airjitzu spinners, you're lucky. xD Though, why the heck would they make a Wrayth one? He shows up, like, twice! Yeesh. Art supplies are such awesome presents. ^ ^ I have never had a birthday party. Is it fun? I would love to hear your song! My older sister, Ally, and I have written quite a few parodies of songs, but only a couple original ones. It would be awesome to run a bakery. ^ ^ I would eat there. Since the reviews aren't working right, I can't see the end of your message. :( I think you gave us cake, though. Thank you! :3**

 **And Petal, I can't currently think of a good place for Whisp to show up, since I'm not planning to mortally injure Lloyd anytime soon. Can you give me some ideas?**

* * *

Chapter 16

For all of the next morning, it rained. Rained and stormed, a couple times it even started to hail. Lloyd hoped NI wasn't caught out in such a terrible thunderstorm. However, it wasn't until a little past noon that the shadeling finally appeared, tired and completely soaked, at the front door.

"What happened to YOU?" Jay asked as Ni stumbled into the living room and flopped over on a couch.

"Have you ever tried flying in a ssstorm?" the queen asked flatly. "It'sss not fun."

"Did you find Morro?" Lloyd asked impatiently. "Is he okay?"

"Yesss, and yesss." Ni opened one eye to look at him. "I almossst essscaped with him, but he was caught again before he made it off the boat."

"Oh." lloyd sighed sadly. Morro still wasn't free. "He's okay, though?"

"Yesss. He might have been hur t when one of the other ghossstsss knocked him out, though."

"Great." the blond boy shook his head, sinking down into a chair. "At least you escaped."

"Barely. And like I sssaid, flying in a ssstorm is no picsssnack."

"Picsnack?" Lloyd frowned in confusion.

"You mean '"picnic"?" Jay corrected her.

"Whatever." Ni groaned, closing her eye again. "Everything hurtsss..."

"Then rest." Lloyd told her. "You deserve it."

"Mmmmmph." Was her only reply. Smiling slightly, the green ninja stood up and left the room, Jay trailing behind him.

"I guess now we just have to wait for Chen to contact you." the redhead spoke up. "Then..."

"Then we rescue Morro." Lloyd said, his voice determined. He had told the other in the Monastery of his plan at breakfast this morning. Lea seems trustworthy enough, and if he waited too long then they wouldn't have a chance to rescue Morro at all. Suddenly, as if on cue, Lloyd's phone buzzed in his pocket, and the green ninja pulled it out to see a new message from Chen on the screen.

 _"Your surrender has been accepted. Come to my island, to the dungeons beneath the temples to Clouse's snake's old den at exactly midnight tonight. There we will make the trade. -Chen"_

"He replied." Lloyd looked up from the phone, meeting Jay's eyes as he spoke. "Morro's in the dungeons below the temples on Chen's island."

"Rats." Jay made a face. "I really wish I could come help back you up."

"Yeah, but, not only are you unable to turn invisible, but you're injured, too."

"There is that... minor complication." Jay sighed. "If only that machine that turned people invisible actually worked."

"The what?" Lloyd frowned.

"I built it a while ago. Unfortunately, it only turned your head invisible." the blue ninja laughed awkwardly. "I junked it after a while. I just couldn't get it to work."

"Too bad. That coulda' come in handy." the blond boy shook his head. "I'm going to go tell the others." Jay nodded as Lloyd walked off, leaving the hallway in search of the others. He really hoped their plan to rescue Morro worked. Otherwise, they were in big, big trouble.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Indigo sat against her room wall with her knees pulled up to her chest, dully watching the rain fall outside her window. She was bored. And sad. She missed Morro. It was lonely, being here all alone. Daggerclaws was off somewhere, eating a mouse or something, and all the ninja were downstairs strategizing. Since strategy wasn't one of her strong suits, she had decided to hide in her room instead. All alone. Sighing, she got to her feet, about to go downstairs, when a flash of light lit up her room and a man appeared in front of her. She let out a short scream, jumping back as the strange person straightened up and smiled.

"Greetings, my lady." the stranger bowed in greeting, but Indigo only stared at him in shock. The man had dark, tanned skin, so dark that it was almost orange. He had four arms and a tail like a ghost, except, like his skin, it was orange. His black hair was in a ponytail on the top of his head, and his clothing reminded her vaguely of a pirate's.

"Who the ghost are you?!" she demanded, backing up against the wall. "What are you doing in my room?!"

"I apologize for startling you, fair lady." the stranger ***umed an apologetic face for a moment before smiling again. "I am Nadakhan the Djinn, a wish-granter that helps those in need. You and your friends could use a few wishes, could you not?"

"Um... I guess." Indigo frowned, unsure of whether to trust this person or not. "Wait, how would you know?" Nadakhan looked taken aback for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Being a djinn grants me certain... abilities." he shrugged. "So, do you want some wishes or not?"

"Um. How many do I get?"

"Three."

"Um... ever?"

"Yes. Only three ever." the djinn looked almost annoyed, crossing one set of his arms. "Unless you happen to find another djinn."

"I... think I need to talk to Sensei about this..." Indigo backed away further, backing through the wall behind her and into the hallway outside.

"No!" Nadakhan teleported into the hall, startling her again. "Do not speak with others about what your wishes should be. They will influence you to choose when _they_ want. Decide by yourself, quickly." he urged her. She stared at him for a few moments, contemplating wishes in her mind, before nodding hesitantly.

"..alright. I wish-"

"Hey! Who's that?!" the void master's sentence was cut off by a female voice, and she looked in the direction it had come from to see Jessica running down the hall towards them. Instantly, Nadakhan vanished in a puff of smoke. "Who was that guy?!" Jessica demanded, stopping next to the bewildered ghost.

"Uh... he said he was a djinn. That he granted wishes?" Indigo shook her head. "Why'd he run away, though? I don't get it."

"A djinn? Aren't those evil?" Jessica frowned.

"Are they? I don't know."

"In stories, djinns are evil genies. They take your wishes and twist them so they hurt you instead of help you." the daredevil explained.

"So... a genie is like a djinn that DOESN'T do that?" Indigo frowned.

"...yeah. You don't know anything about genies?"

"I grew up on the streets. I never heard any stories but the ones my... guardian told me. And they never had any genies in them."  
"Oh. Sorry. I didn't know that." Jessica apologized.

"It's fine."

"We should go tell Sensei Wu about him, right?" the brunette suggested. "If there's a djinn running around trying to get people to make bad wishes, the ninja need to be warned."

"Right." Indigo nodded, following Jessica back downstairs.

"HEY SENSEI!" Jessica yelled as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "ARE EVIL DJINNS TRYING TO KILL US BAD?"

"What?" Sensei Wu looked up from his cup of tea as they entered the library, a confused look on his face.

"A djinn was just upstairs, trying to trick Indigo into making some wishes. He vanished when I came up, though." the daredevil explained.

"Oh no. He must be working with the Overlord." the elderly man stood up. "Did you make a wish?" he addressed the ghost girl.

"No." Indigo shook her head. "Jess stopped me just in time."

"Good. Did he tell you his name?"

"It was, like... Not-a-con, or something."

"Nadakhan?"

"Yeah."

"Oh dear." Sensei Wu turned around, clasping his hands behind his back as he began to pace across the room. "Nadakhan was the crown prince of Djinnjago, his home realm, but he left to become a pirate here. He was trapped in the Teapot of Tyrahn by Captain Soto long ago, however. If the Overlord has freed him..." Sensei shook his head.

"How did he get trapped in a teapot? Why?" Indigo frowned.

"It's a djinn thing. I'll explain later." Jessica put a hand on her shoulder with a grin.

"Nadakhan targets those left alone, so he can manipulate them into making wishes in peace." Wu continued as those neither of them had spoken. "I don't think he'll target anyone es long as they're with someone else. From now on, everyone needs to stay together, at least in pairs, at all times."

"So, like, we can't sleep on our own?"

"Exactly. And Kai will need higher security. Since Nadakhan can teleport, he could easily overpower one guard and let Kai go.

"Right." Jessica nodded. "We should go tell the others, right?"

"Call them here for a meeting, so we can tell everyone at once." Sensei instructed.

"But... shouldn't you not be here alone?" Indigo spoke up.

"Very well. I will come with you." the old man turned around and joined the two girls, walking a few feet behind them as they left the room.

"Hey Indigo?" Jessica spoke up quietly.

"Mmm?"

"What would you have wished for? If I hadn't stopped you?"

"I... was about to wish that Morro was back here." the ghost blushed slightly. "That he was safe. I don't know how that guy would have twisted it, but, whatever he did, it wouldn't be something good." she shuddered.

"Yeah. That's probably what I would have wished for, too." Jessica sighed. "Morro's capture is really bothering Lloyd."

"I noticed. At least you're here for him, right."

"Yeah. Wait, what?" the brunette looked up at her in confusion, but Indigo only smiled mischievously and looked away. She was completely aware of the fact that the two had at least crushes on each other, she was just waiting for them to figure it out. After a moment, the ghost girl sobered and looked back to the hallway in front of them. Right now, she had a job to do.

* * *

 **Pfft, Lloyd and Jessica are so oblivious. EVERYONE KNOWS BY NOW BUT YOU GUYS! GET WITH THE PROGRAM!**

 **Lloyd: Why do you have that strange look on your face?  
Me: No reason. Diamond, the questions?  
Diamond: Here you are.  
Me: Welp. We have a lot. For starters, for Lloyd, from BinxAngelo: "What's your secret?"  
Lloyd: SECRET?! I DON'T HAVE A SECRET! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!  
Me: Lloyd.  
Lloyd: AAAAAAAAAGH! *hides behind Morro*  
Me: ...that went well.  
Lloyd: I WON'T TELL YOU!  
Morro: They'll make you.  
Lloyd: NO!  
Me: Then you don't get to talk. I'm sure you know the drill.  
Lloyd: ...  
Morro: ...why.  
Me: I have to appease my fans. ** **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
Morro: You don't HAVE to.  
Me: Shush.  
Morro: ...  
Kai: Not again.  
Me: I CAN KEEP YOU ALL FROM TALKING YOU KNOW!  
Jay: It'd be a pretty quiet question-and-answer part, though.  
Me: I guess. Wait, didn't the Overlord eat you?  
Jay: I apparently didn't agree with him.  
Me: Ew. Anyway, the next forty or so questions are from sweetfierce, so here we go. For Soul Archer, "how did you accidentally shoot yourself?"  
Soul Archer: frIENdShip  
Me: Um. I think that's the effect of light matter... for Morro, "You get an infinite amount of shrimp."  
Morro: :D  
Me: He still can't talk. For Cole, "You get a pony from My Little Pony."  
Pinky Pie: *enormous gasp* A GHOST!  
Cole: What do I do with this?  
Me: For Kai, "you are stamped on my angry furbys". Since I don't know what those are, I'll google it...**  
 **Kai: It looks like some sort of squishy, plushy, owl-thing.**  
 **Me: Good luck.**  
 **Kai: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!**  
 **Me: For Zane, " Idk what to do to you. Just help Cole defeat discord okay."**  
 **Zane: Who?**  
 **Cole: GIANT GOAT-PONY-BIRD THING! RUN!**  
 **Me: " Lloyd, help Zane and Cole." You can talk now.**  
 **Lloyd: WHY MEEEEEEE**  
 **Me: Bansha, "listen to Brave."  
Bansha: Brave?  
Me: I think she's talking about the song by Sara Bareilles.  
Bansha: I don't know who that is.  
Me: Me either. But I love the song, despite it being about lesbians. :P  
Bansha: ...alright.  
Me: While everyone listens to music/runs around screaming/gets stomped on/eats shrimp, I'm going to sneak away quietly... . Adios, amigos!**

 **~FFF**


	17. Curiousitea

**So much for a posting schedule. I really shouldn't try to do it on Sundays... I always end up being so busy.**

 **Review replies~**

 **Nurse Medusa: "Interesting" is a good word for it.**

 **Samantha: They only remember in canon. In this, the events of Season 6 never happened. It would have ended up very differently with the Realm Crystal being gone and Clouse being a good guy and Garmadon being back and whatnot. And what do you mean by "how am I going to finish off the story"? Like, am I going to end it on a cliffhanger?**

 **KRR: O.O You got an account? Awesome! :D I'm looking forward to reading your stories (as long as they're not gay). ^ ^ Do all your characters both have elemental masters as parents? It seems all of them have two different powers.**

 **Starry: Kloeyyyyyyyy... you KNOW if you eat too much sugar then you're going to hurt yourself, right? Go play with sharks or something instead.**

 **BinxAngelo: I have not, no. Since I have 8 siblings, my parents can't deal with 9 parties a year, and if one person got one then everyone else would want one too. Except my brother Zack. He hates parties. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **The Pink Ninja: The reviews are working now, fortunately. ^ ^' Your song is amazing! If only I could hear the tune. I have to say I do the exact same thing. And I have veeeeery few friends in real life. Basically my only friends I see on a regular basis are as nuts as I am. xD I'm so obsessed with Ninjago that I'm thinking about it practically all the time. I'm half convinced they ARE real. Probably I have mental health issues. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Like I said to BinxAngelo, my parents are just too busy to deal with it. Birthdays are fun anyway, though. :) Thanks for the cake! ^w^**

 **Petal: I guess... but she would have to appear of her own accord.**

 **Windy: O.O YAY! YOU'RE BACK! :D I was afraid something had happened to you. Looking forward to talking to you again. ^w^**

* * *

Chapter 17 – Curiousitea

The inhabitants of the Garmadon Monastery were silent as they ate dinner, as tension was too high for anyone to have a casual conversation. Zane was guarding Kai, since they had determined that he wasn't really alone with P.I.X.A.L. in his head. Except for the occasional clinking of silverware against dishes, the Monastery was silent.

"Well." Jay spoke up, breaking the silence. "Sure is quiet around here."

"Well, yeah, since, y'know, if this goes wrong, and Lloyd gets infected, we're all toast!" Indigo snapped, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Not to mention the evil djinn trying to trap us in a magic teapot." Jessica added.

"Yeah, I still don't get how that works." the void master shook her head.

"Thanks a lot for helping me feel better about this, guys..." Lloyd muttered sarcastically as he pushed his food around in circles with his fork.

"You should eat something." his mom urged him.

"I'm not hungry."

"You should still eat, to keep up your strength." Misako insisted. Hesitantly, Lloyd nodded before starting to eat.

"Remember, Lloyd, you're not gonna be alone." Cole smiled at him from across the table. "You've got Indigo and I."

"I know." the blond boy sighed, taking another bite of his food. "I'm just nervous that it won't work out."

"Of course it'll work!" Jessica chirped from beside him. "You're the most powerful guy in Ninjago! How could you lose?"

"I've lost before." Lloyd shrugged. "Who's to say I won't this time?"

"Me." Jessica pointed out.

"Oh. Right." he chuckled. "That works."

"I should be able to come too." Lea spoke up expectedly. "Since I can use the abilities of animals, I can use the camouflage abilities of a chameleon to turn invisible." To demonstrate, the black-haired girl pushed her chair back and stood up, waiting for everyone to look at her before vanishing before their eyes.

"Wow!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes open wide. "That's so cool! I wish I could do that."

"There's only one with my powers," Lea replied, turning visible again. "and that's me, so you're out of luck."

"Phooey." Anna stuck her tongue out and Gin laughed. "What are you laughing at?!" the red-haired girl demanded. "You HAVE elemental powers!"

"I was laughing because you're being immature." Lloyd's adopted sister folded her arms.  
"I'm _seven_! I'm allowed to make faces at people!" Anna argued, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Gin, could you get me some more tea?" Sensei Wu spoke up, evidently trying to break up their argument. "There's a full pot in the kitchen."  
"Sure, Sensei." the brunette hopped up from her seat and grabbed her adopted uncle's teacup before leaving the room.

"Lloyd, you can get to Chen's island on your dragon, right?"

"Yeah." the blond boy nodded. "Though, Cole and Indigo, can you turn your dragons invisible?"

"Dunno." Cole shrugged. "We'll have to try and see."

"Test it as soon as we're finished eating." the green ninja instructed. "How about you, Lea?"

"I don't need a dragon. I can swim there." the black-haired girl shrugged. "Animal powers, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Lloyd nodded. "I guess-" the rest of his sentence was cut off by a _crash_ from the nearby kitchen. There was silence for a few moments before Gin's wavering voice called,

"Dad? Mom? Sensei?" the two sensei and Misako stood up immediately and left the room. Curious, Lloyd got up and followed them.

"What's going o-" he started, then broke off at the sight of the teenage girl standing in the middle of the kitchen, broken gl*** scattered on the floor around her. Her brown hair was in twin braids, one of which had a white streak through it, and she wore purple and silver clothes.

"Wu?" Lloyd's father spoke up after a moment. "Why is there tomorrow's tea in my monastery?" Sensei Wu shrugged.

"Strange things have been known to happen. I thought we should have some just in case."

"Gin?!" Lloyd blurted out in shock.

"Yeah?" the teenage Gin looked over at him. She seemed very surprised when he burst out laughing.

"You got turned into a teenager by tomorrow's tea?! Seriously?!" he choked out through his laughter.

"Yeah, I guess." the brunette frowned. "Why is that so funny?"

"That's the exact same thing that happened to me!" Lloyd threw his hands up in the air with a grin. "The situation was a little more intense, but still!"

"Yes, it seems to be a theme with my children, adopted or otherwise." Lloyd's dad remarked.

"I'm just glad my clothes grew to fit my new body." Gin looked down at her outfit, shaking her head.

"Ha. Yep." Lloyd continued snickering as everyone else come to see what all the fuss was about.

"Uh, is that Gin?" Jay asked in surprise.

"Yes." Lloyd's father nodded solemnly.

"What... just happened here?" Cole asked, stunned.

"Tomorrow's tea, whatever that is." Gin shook her head.

"Whatever it is, it's making Lloyd crack up." Lea pointed at Lloyd, who was still laughing hysterically.

"Long story." Jay shrugged. "Hey, this is almost as funny as that time Tara swapped Morro and Indigo's gen-" the blue ninja broke off when Indigo punched him. "What? It WAS funny!"

"Not for us." the void master muttered venomously.

"This is WAY funnier." Lloyd argued, his laughter slowed enough for him to talk.

"Oh yeah?" Jay folded his arms.  
"Yeah!"

"You boys are ridiculous." Gin rolled her eyes, gingerly stepping over the broken gl*** and leaving the room. "I'm going to go wash tea out of my hair."

* * *

 **And they still have not rescued Morro. Rip. They're going to work on that next chapter, though, which is really super long to make up for this being shorter than average. ^ ^**

 **Me:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
Jay: What's that look for?  
Me: AbsolutelynothingatallIdon'tknowwhatyou'retalkingabout.  
Lloyd: Can we just, like, lock her in the closet so she won't ask us questions?  
Me: You're not supposed to talk.  
Lloyd: Ugh.  
Me: Today's co-hosts are Diamond Ninjago and Windy.  
Diamond: Greetings.  
Windy: Hi!  
Me: ...where'd the questions go this time?  
Diamond: I don't know.  
Jay: Umm...  
Me: Jay, do you know something we don't?  
Jay: NO! I mean...  
Me: ****ಠ_ಠ  
Jay: KAI HAS THEM!  
Kai: YOU TRAITOR!  
Jay: SHE MADE ME!  
Kai: SO?!  
Me: Thank you, Kai. Let's see. The first question, from Breana and for Indigo-  
Indigo: Uh oh.  
Me: "What's your deepest darkest secret?"  
Indigo: *screams eternally*  
Me: ಠ_ಠ  
Indigo: NO I REFUSE  
Me: ಠ_ಠ  
Indigo NO  
Me: ಠ_ಠ  
Indigo: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
Me: Well then. You can just talk backwards like Lloyd.  
Lloyd: Wait, what?  
Indigo: ****!?TAHW !YEH -er si sihT  
Me: heehehehehehehe... ahem. Next, from Sweetfierce, "** **Cole you know that you could ask Pinkie Pie to call her friends and turn discord to stone,right. Lloyd you're now under the same spell that morro had. Annoying Orange will take over the world then the overlord will battle him. Unfortunately the overlord will try and also take over then these girls called Almi, Amity,Madeline and Matilda stop him. Then we all eat Cotton Candy.** **"  
Lloyd: what  
Me: Also for you, from BinxAngelo, "** **I DARE Lloyd to tell his greatest/darkest secret, and if he does not have him talk backwards all the rest of the time. And let Morro talk! And give him more seafood."  
Lloyd: :/ Um... no?  
Me: ****ಠ_ಠ** **  
Lloyd:** **!SDRAWKCAB SI HCEEPS YM ESUACEB EM DNATSREDNU NAC ENO ON ,UOY LLET OT TNAW DID I FI NEVE DNA  
Me: Translation: AND EVEN IF I DID WANT TO TELL YOU, NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND ME BECAUSE MY SPEECH IS BACKWARDS!  
Lloyd: ?hceeps ym gnippilf fo tniop eht s'tahw ,meht llet ot gniog tsuj er'uoy fi...  
Me: It's fun.  
Lloyd: ...si terces tsetaerg ym ,lleW  
Me: Well, my greatest secret is...  
Lloyd: .iaK dna em gnippihs rof latipsoh eht ni lrig a tup yltnedicca ecno I...  
Me: Translation: ...I once accidently put a girl in the hospital for shipping me and Kai.  
Kai: AHA! SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!  
Lloyd: ?won yllamron klat I naC  
Me: No.  
Lloyd: ****.staR  
Me: And Cole, read this stuff about Discord.  
Cole: Okay.  
Indigo: !DIPUTS OS SI SIHT  
Me: Yep.  
Cole: What's an Annoying Orange?  
Me: No idea. I have to go, so, see-  
Ronin: no  
Me: - you-  
Ronin: NO  
Me: - around!  
Ronin: WHY**

 **~FFF**


	18. Somebody Gets Dunked

**Hahaha remember all those one-shot requests I got like a million years ago and never wrote**

 **...**

 **I need to work on that.**

 **Also, where the heck am I going to put 7 more OCs? I'm already 18 chapters in and have only put in 2! Poor planning on my part. |:P**

 **Review replies:**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Okay, I had to look up what that means, but yes. xD**

 **KRR: So they just... learned their powers? They didn't inherit them? Huh. Okay. Cool. And I'm fine with Cole X Nya.**

 **BinxAngelo: As I mentioned in RttCR, I have hosted costume parties, and those are plenty crazy. xD I actually found a program to turn text backwards, so it wasn't that hard. ^ ^**

 **Nurse Medusa: I blame Wu. xD**

 **SilverKunoichi: Okie dokie.**

 **Starry: Kloey, you really need to work on your sweet tooth... eat some fish or something instead. Cats like fish.**

 **Samantha: By her owner's request, yes. And... I guess I'm going to end it like the last book? Except this time I won't have foreshadowing for the third, unless I can think of a clever way to put it in there by then.**

 **Sweetfierce: I see.**

 **Windy: I knew you'd like it. ^ ^ School gets out fairly soon, right?**

 **Innocent reminder that I am in no way responsible for anything that happens in this chapter.**

 **...**

 **Okay maybe I am. BUT IT'S REALLY LONG SO THAT'S WHY THIS WASN'T POSTED HALF A WEEK AGO I'M GOING TO HIDE IN THE CLOSET NOW BYYYYYYYYE**

* * *

Chapter 18

Lloyd glanced at the clock for the hundredth time in twenty minutes. 10:54 PM. Why did time p*** so slowly? Cole and Indigo were as nervous as he was, fidgeting with their weapons as they sat on the couch across from him, but Lea seemed perfectly calm. Huh. Since anything they held became invisible with them, Cole and Indigo each had a pair of swords and some shurikens, despite Indigo's insistence that she couldn't throw them accurately at all. 10:55. Unfortunately, the ghosts' dragons couldn't turn invisible with them, so they would have to ride on Lloyd's. Lea could apparently swim really fast to keep up with them, so she didn't need a dragon. So that was good. 10:56. Cole, Indigo, and Lea all needed to stay invisible as soon as they were in sight of the island. Chen probably had some sort of surveillance, especially around the temples, so he couldn't talk to them once they landed for fear of the bad guys picking up on their plan. 10:57. Dangit, why was time so slow? To distract himself, Lloyd began going through his backpack to make sure he wasn't missing everything. No weapons, in case they searched him (he wanted them to think he was actually surrendering), spare clothes, his cell phone, and a snack his mother had insisted he bring. The blond boy smiled as he remembered her bothering him about it. She probably fussed over him too much, but he didn't mind.

"Lloyd." Lea's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked up at the clock. 11:00. "It's time to go."

"'Kay." the green ninja zipped has bag shut and stood up, leading the other three out of the room. Everyone else (except Zane, who was guarding Kai) was by the front door, their faces serious as Lloyd led them out onto the front lawn. The blond boy hesitated as he stepped onto the gr***, his heart beating violently in his chest. His nerves hadn't gotten any better in the six hours since dinner, if anything they had gotten worse. As he stared up at the full moon, a hand grasped his shoulder and he looked up to see his father standing behind him.

"Are you doing alright?" the older man asked quietly.

"Yeah." Lloyd answered automatically. "Just nervous."

"You'll be fine." his father promised. "God will be with you. He always is."

"I know." the green ninja smiled faintly. "Thanks." With that, he raised his hands, concentrating on forming his green energy into a glowing dragon. Moments later, it appeared and the green ninja hopped onto its back. As Indigo and Cole climbed on behind him, his mother called,

"Aren't you going to kiss your mother goodbye?" Lloyd frowned.

"...remember how the last time you said that, I didn't come back?"

"So?"

"It's bad luck, mom!" the green ninja threw his hands up in the air.

"There's no such thing as luck!" his dad interjected.

"Yeah, I know. You guys are gonna make me late." Lloyd's dragon flapped its wings, lifting the three onboard into the air.

"Good luck!" Jay called as they began to fly away. Lloyd waved at those on the ground before grasping the reins with both hands and speeding up his dragon, flying away and out towards the sea.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"There it is!" Lloyd pointed at the land m*** ahead of them, letting his dragon go into a mild dive. Indigo's grip on his shoulders tightened, as she was afraid of falling off. "Are you both invisible?" the blond boy asked, his attention focused on steering the dragon so he couldn't look back.

"Yep." Cole's voice came from behind him.

"Good." About half a minute later, his dragon touched down on the island's beach and he jumped off, waiting for Cole and Indigo's footprints to appear in the sand before dematerializing the glowing beast.

"Now we need to wait for Lea." Indigo's voice came quietly from where the dragon used to be.

"Mm-hmm." Lloyd nodded before walking over to a rock and sitting down, shrugging off his backpack and pulling out his phone to see what time it was. 11:32. They had about half an hour. Good. Unfortunately, it was a good ten minutes before Lea arrived on the beach.

"Sorry," the invisible master of animals apologized as she climbed out of the water. "I went to the wrong beach by mistake."

"It's fine. Just stay invisible and follow me. Cole, Indigo, you're still here, right?"

"Yeah."

"Yep." came their replies from nearby.

"Alright. Come on." Lloyd turned and headed up the beach, hearing the faint scuffling of the other three behind him. For the next ten minutes, the green ninja searched the various temples, trying to find a way down into the dungeon. He was starting to get worried, when, at about 11:51, Lea whispered,

"Psst. Lloyd." and he looked in her direction to see a door opening in the wall, leading to a staircase that descended into darkness. He nodded in thanks before running over and beginning to descend the stairs slowly. For all he knew, he was walking into a trap. On second thought, that was probably the likeliest outcome. He checked his phone again at the bottom. 11:54. He needed to hurry and find that snake's den. Silently, he hurried through the catacombs, listening carefully for any signs of life. After a couple minutes, he noticed that some p***ages were blocked off, keeping him on a specific route. At least they were making it easy for him. After a couple minutes more, he turned a corner to see along tunnel in front of him, with a brightly-lit room at the end. That must be the snake's den. The green ninja slowed his pace as he walked down the corridor, his eyes darting around the dark p***age in search of traps. Of course, if there were traps, it would probably be a trap door. Chen loved those. But nothing happened as he crept down the hallway, his footsteps echoing painfully loud on the stone floor. He heard the faint footsteps of the other three as well, sneaking on ahead to hopefully free Morro. At 11:59, he could make out a glowing, green figure chained to one of the posts, as well as two other green figures in the room. Morro, and a couple other ghosts.

"There he is!" he heard Chen's voice faintly floating down the tunnel. The two pacing ghosts turned and floated down the p***age towards him, and as they got close he identified them as Ghoultar and Wrayth. He glared at them silently as they grabbed his wrists, pulling him back towards the lit chamber ahead. As he entered the room, Morro lifted his head from where he was chained with his hands behind his back to the pole, meeting Lloyd's eyes for a split-second before looking away. Was he alright?

"Well, well, well." the green ninja jumped at the familiar, raspy voice, and he looked up to see the Overlord entering the room through a side p***age. "You actually went through with it. I'm impressed." Lloyd shuddered at the sight of him. He already knew the Overlord was alive, but seeing him in person... "Put the cuffs on him." the creature of darkness ordered. Instantly, the green ninja wrenched his arms out of the ghosts' grip, saying firmly,

"NO. Let Morro go first."

"Or you'll what?" the Overlord scoffed. "You're all alone, _golden ninja_. You have no choice but to do what I say. Now get him in the cuffs." Across the room, Morro's chains rattled slightly, thought the wind master hadn't moved. The others had reached him. Good. Though, wait. If he shot green energy at the chains, they should unlock... shouldn't they?

"How about... no." Lloyd clapped his hands together, sending out a wave of green energy. When the burst hit Morro, his chains unlocked instantly and he fell to the ground. "COME ON!" the blond boy yelled as Morro sat up, his eyes widening in surprise. Quickly, the ghost scrambled to his feet, shoving Ghoultar and Wrayth away from Lloyd with a gust of wind. As Lloyd turned to make for the exit, however, a metal gate dropped down from the ceiling, blocking the way out.

"Great." Cole's voice came from right next to him, making him jump. "Us ghosts can get out, but you and Lea can't."

"There's a hole in the ceiling!" Morro pointed upwards as he ran over, the barely-visible Indigo following him.

"GET BACK HERE!" the Overlord bellowed as the five (Lea was probably somewhere nearby) ran over to below the hole. As Lloyd was about to use Airjitzu to get up to it, a trap door opened underneath him and he fell in with a startled shout. Fortunately, a gust of wind caught him, lifting him back up. As he thanked Morro with a nod, shouts caught Lloyd's attention and he looked up to see at least two dozen ghosts hovering at the top of the pit. Soul Archer was among them, and he seemed to be giving orders.

"Great..." Lloyd muttered, his eyes darting around the room in search of another exit. There was none. They would have to fight their way out. "Alright, they can't get to us from up there." he pointed to the ledge the ghosts were standing on 20 feet above them. "They'll need to come down, so we should have a few moments to get ready. Try to find some higher ground." His teammates nodded and turned to help him investigate the room. There were some piles of bones they could stand on, but that was kinda... gross. Maybe if they could get on top of the poles? Suddenly, an arrow struck the ground next to his foot. He should probably get moving. Just as he started running across the room, the ghosts began to descend from the ledge, Soul Archer staying to continue firing from long range. "Cole, over here!" Lloyd yelled, stopping behind one of the pillars. After a moment, the black ninja's voice spoke up right next to him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you climb up to where Soul Archer is?"

"Don't see why not."

"Try to knock him out. If he's out of the fight, we've got one less thing we have to worry about."

"Got it." Cole affirmed before running off. Morro was still visible – he didn't _know_ how to turn invisible – so about half of the ghosts were targeting him. Most of the other half were heading towards Lloyd, their weapons brandished. Lea and Indigo were apparently doing something useful, since random ghosts kept flopping over for no apparent reason. Soul Archer fired off another arrow and Lloyd ducked around the pillar to avoid it. A moment later, the blond boy leaned out from behind his cover and fired balls of energy at the oncoming ghosts, sending the first couple lines flying. Only a couple remained, and he took them out with a couple well-aimed shots. As his half of the ghosts were struggling to their feet, Lloyd ran over to Morro, propelling himself over the group of ghosts with Airjitzu before landing next to the wind master to help him fight.

"You okay?" the green ninja called over the noise of the battle.

"Fire." Morro replied, nodding as he deflected a blade with a gust of wind.

"Are you sure?" Lloyd pressed.

"Positive. You know, this really isn't the time for a heartfelt reunion."

"You mean the fact that we're outnumbered ten to one?" Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Pfft, we can take these guys."

"Maybe so, but we shouldn't be distracted." the wind master blew half the enemies into a wall, but they just got back up. "It'd be nice if we had some water..."

"Yeah, but, unfortunately, Nya can't turn invisible." Lloyd sent a green orb into the mob of ghosts, sending them flying. "Plus, we'd probably accidently kill you, Indigo, and Cole. Where did Cole go, anyway? He's supposed to be taking out Soul Archer." As if in answer to his question, the ghost general toppled forward abruptly, battered to the ground by an invisible force. Cole. "There we go."

"RETREAT!" Soul Archer yelled, struggling upright. "FALL BACK! WE CAN'T BEAT THEM!" After a moment's hesitation, the ghosts obeyed, turning and running/floating through the walls until the room was empty except for the good guys.

"We did it!" Cole yelled cheerfully from up on the ledge, letting himself become visible.

"Yeah!" Lea's voice floated over from across the room. Morro frowned.

"Who's that?"  
"A friend." Lloyd shrugged. After a moment of silence, the blond boy turned and hugged his ghost friend tightly, resting his head on his shoulder as Morro hugged him back. "I'm glad you're okay."

"As I am you." they stood in silence for a few moments before Cole spoke up again.

"Hey, where'd the Overlord go?"

"I don't know." Lloyd let go of Morro, looking around the now-empty room. "He... he can't go through walls, can he?"

"Not as far as I know. I don't know what he can do in his new body." the wind master shook his head before glancing around the room. "Where did Indigo- LOOK OUT!" Lloyd had barely enough time to register his words before Morro shoved him away, making him stumble and fall backwards onto the ground. As he struggled to sit up, he looked up at Morro just in time to see a dark matter projectile knock the ghost to the ground.  
"MORRO!" Indigo screamed a few feet away. Scrambling to his feet, Lloyd ran over to the shaking ghost on the ground, dropping to his knees next to his friend as he reached out a hand towards him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Morro snarled, swiping at his hand and making the blond boy back away. His skin was already changing color, from its normal green to a sickly grey.

"Lloyd, we need to go." Lea materialized next to him, grabbing his wrist and trying to pull him away. The green ninja hesitated before letting her pull him away, barely noticing his surroundings as they Airjitzued through the hole and ran back to the beach, and even when Cole pulled him onto the Earth dragon and they took off he was barely paying enough attention to hold onto Indigo in front of him. Tears began to well up in his eyes, but he angrily swiped them away. It was over. They had failed.

They had lost.

* * *

 **Lloyd: OKAY I AM DONE WITH HER. WHERE IS SHE?!  
Kai: In the closet giggling hysterically.  
Me: WELL THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS SO BYE**

 **~FFF**


	19. Allies?

**Oh wow a late update**

 **nice**

 **Review replies:**

 **Nurse Medusa: A bad time? Was that an Undertale reference?**

 **WFOFA: Hey, you changed your username! Cool. Poor Morro just can't get a break.**

 **LabRatFlutieKat: Don't hate on Lloyd! :C He's got enough problems already.**

 **KRR: I can't believe you two. Two of your friends just DIED, and you're FLIRTING?! I don't even- ugh. Even if I did ship you, show those two some respect.**

 **Starry: Stop complaining, Kloey. You'll be in the story soon enough and then you can ask the reviewers for cookies.**

 **Samantha: STOP GANGING UP ON MEEEEEEEEE**

 **Sweetfierce: *innocently backs away***

 **MikachuWriting: Actually, this story doesn't take place in the canon timeline, so they have never met him before. Season six hasn't happened here.**

 **Two questions: Are you the guest who's been commenting on my other stories? To answer your questions, 1. Sorry, I didn't know I was doing that. My computer has a profanity blocker and it must be censoring those. :/ 2. I'm not, no. The definition of "homophobe" is "noun. 1. a person who fears or hates homosexuals and homosexuality. Origin ofhomophobe Expand. homo(sexual) + -phobe." I do not fear, nor do I hate homosexuals. I just don't think what they do is morally right.**

 **Binx: Thanks! ^ ^**

* * *

Chapter 19

Lloyd sat behind Indigo on Cole's dragon, his head resting on her shoulder as he stared listlessly into the sea below them. They had failed. What was the point? Even after all their preparing, their planning, them working _so hard_ to rescue him, Morro was now under the Overlord's control. There was no way to turn him back, not without the Golden Power. And who's to say he wouldn't change the others just as easily? What if he just stormed the monastery, and infected them all in an instant? Actually, why hadn't he? Maybe he was just toying with them. Or he didn't have enough dark matter. Whatever the case, he had already taken two of the best warriors in Ninjago – not to mention Lloyd's closest friends. Defeat just seemed inevitable. They spent a long time flying over the ocean, the green ninja thinking morbid thoughts the entire time. Finally, at almost 2:00 AM, the three arrived back at the monastery. As Lloyd was climbing down slowly from Cole's dragon, Indigo's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"...Lloyd?" he looked up to see her staring at something above him with a confused look on her face. "There's... a bird on your head."

"What?" the blond boy lifted his hand and brushed it over his hair. "I don't feel-" he broke off as he lowered his hand, realizing that a tiny, yellow bird was perched on his wrist. It twittered innocently as he and Indigo stared at it in surprise, hopping onto one of his fingers. "Um... hi?" he said to it hesitantly. What was he supposed to do with a bird?

"Hi." he replied. Startled, Lloyd jerked his hand away and it fell, flapping its wings wildly so it landed safely.

"Did that bird just talk?" Cole asked from behind him. In reply, the bird vanished, replaced by a tall cloud of smoke. When it cleared, a girl stood in its place. Lloyd just stared as she swept her short, black hair out of her face, grinning as she crossed her arms over her chest. Out of all the things he thought he'd find when he got home, this was not one of them.

"What?" he exclaimed at last. "What just happened? Who are you?!"

"The name's Kloey Annabeth Leslie, at your service." the girl bowed deeply, sweeping an imaginary hat off her head. "I'm a shapeshifter, a martial artist, and I play a mean game of checkers. Can I join your ninja team?"  
"W-what? No! I mean, what?!" Lloyd shook his head. "We just met you, like, thirty seconds ago! Aren't you moving a bit fast?"

"You think THIS is fast? You know how fast cats can run?" Kloey _poofed_ again and turned into a cat, ran a circle around Lloyd, then turned back into her human form. "So I can't be a ninja. Oh well. Can I help you anyway? With that Overlord dude?"  
"How did you know about him?" Lloyd frowned.

"I've been following you guys around for a couple of days now." she shrugged. "Didn't find a chance to show up until now, though. Seems like you need a hand."

"We need a lot more than just a hand." Lloyd sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess. We could definitely use the help. You say you're a shapeshifter?"

"Yah. I can turn into any animal, but only this human form." she gestured to her body.

"What happens to your glasses when you change?" Cole asked curiously, pointing to the thick glasses perched on Kloey's nose.

"They're magic. They just disappear." she shrugged. "Can we go inside now?"

"Uh... yeah." Lloyd nodded, walking towards the monastery's front door. "Come on, guys." When he opened the door, Lloyd saw almost everyone in the living room, sitting on various couches and chairs. Immediately, he realized that something was wrong. "Guys?" he spoke up, alerting them of his presence.

"Lloyd!" his mom exclaimed, standing up instantly and running over to hug him tightly. "Are you alright? Did the mission go well?" she asked worriedly as he hugged her back.

"I'm fine. But it didn't work. Morro was infected." the blond boy mumbled, closing his eyes sadly. "What happened here? Everyone looks... I don't know. Unhappy."

"Nadakhan took Zane while he was guarding Kai." Nya said gravely. "He was gloating about capturing you. We thought something might have gone wrong. Zane called for help before he was teleported away, though, so Nadakhan didn't manage to free Kai. Wherever he is – Zane – they've probably already infected him. I doubt they want to risk you rescuing him."

"Oh no..." Lloyd looked at the ground. "...so I'm not the only one who failed..."

"It's not your fault, son." he looked up at his father's voice to see him walking over. "He's not lost forever. We can get him back, just like we can Kai."

"But how? I can't defeat the dark matter without my Golden Power, and I can't get that without the other ninja giving up THEIR powers. We don't even know where Zane is, and there's no way Kai will give me his while he's like this." Lloyd shook his head, staring at the ground. "I can't heal Kai without the Golden Power, and I can't get the Golden Power without Kai."

"But you're not the only source of Golden Power." his father reminded him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The Golden Armor is a possibility."

"But if he touched it, he'd die!" the green ninja protested. "It's too powerful!"  
"Maybe so. But Zane survived direct exposure to it for a long time. If we got Kai close enough to it, maybe just the radiation would be enough to cure him."

"I guess it's worth a shot." Lloyd nodded, smiling hesitantly.

"What's worth a shot?" Kloey asked, popping up on the other side of the room and making everyone jump.

"Who are YOU?!" Gin demanded.

"That's Kloey. We met her outside." Lloyd shrugged. "She's a shapeshifter."

"That could come in handy." the green ninja looked up in surprise at the unexpected voice to see Tara entering the room, Li Ming trailing along beside her.

"Oh yeah, Tara, Clouse, and Ming got here while you were gone." Nya explained.

"Joy." Indigo muttered sarcastically.

"Since things seem to have calmed down for the moment," Sensei Wu spoke up. "it is time we all get some rest. Everyone must be at least in pairs at all times. Do not let Nadakhan catch you alone."

"C'mon, Lloyd,. You can bunk with me." Cole offered, taking his arm. Lloyd nodded, letting Cole lead him back to his room. As he changed out of his dirty ninja uniform., he ran his father's words through his mind over and over again. Could using the Golden Armor on Kai really cure him? There was only one way to find out.

* * *

 **Wow, a crazy animal lady. Fun.**

 **Me: *pokes head out of closet* Does everyone still want to kill me?  
Samantha: YES.  
Windy: Calm down! She needs to help us with all these questions?  
Diamond: Indeed. Wait on killing her for a few minutes.  
Samantha: Oh... fine.  
Lloyd: Wait, questions?! KILL HER SAM!  
Me: SHUSH, LLOYD! Ahem. The first *pauses* TEN questions are from LabRatFlutieKat. First of all, for Lloyd, "How many times have you been attacked by haters?*attacks you* KAI SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE GREEN NINJA! *pulls out katana* DIE!"  
Lloyd: ...honestly, never before now. *runs away*  
Windy: LEAVE LLOYD ALONE YOU LITTLE-  
Me: Secondly, for Jay, "How many times have you failed at an invention?"  
Jay: Like... a million billion? Inventing is WAY harder than it looks, haha.  
Me: Thirdly, for Cole, "*hands you a cake* what's your favorite kind of cake?"  
Cole: Chocolate! *noms cake*  
Me: Fourthly, for Nya, "Why did you EVER like Cole?"  
Nya: I don't know. I don't really remember how I felt about him. I guess I just... had a silly fangirl crush on him.  
Me: Seems legit.  
Lloyd: gET HER AWAY FROM ME**  
 **Windy: I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I HAVE A BATTLE AXE**  
 **Me: Fifthly(?), for Kai, "Counseling time! Let's go back to when Lloyd was possessed by Morro! Now, tell me how you feel..."  
Kai: Um... worried? And kinda scared?  
Lloyd: I'M SCARED RIGHT NOW  
Windy: STOP SCARING LLOYD  
Me: Sixthly, for Sensei Wu, "Can I have tea?"  
Sensei Wu: Certainly!  
Me: Seventhly, for Sensei Garmadon, "What was it lieks being LORD Garmadon?"**  
 **Garmadon: I was... angry a lot of the time. It wasn't fun.**  
 **Me: Eighthly, for the Overlord, "BAD OVERLORD! BAD! STOP TURNING PEOPLE EVIL! *attacks you* YOU WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS LLOYD!"**  
 **Overlord: & $%! *runs***  
 **Lloyd: CAN WE AGREE THAT SHE'S NUTS?!**  
 **Overlord: YES**  
 **Me: Ninthly, for Morro, "Counseling time again! Now, while you were/are under the dark matter, what are your feelings? For good and bad."**  
 **Dark Morro: KILL THE NINJA**  
 **Me: ...nice. Finally, for Jessica, "I just want to give you cookies right now... (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)"**  
 **Jessica: Oh gosh, thank you~!**  
 **Me: Now that we're done with those, four more questions from KRR. For Jay, "Favorite food? I'm bored. XP"  
Jay: Pudding!  
Me: For Cole, "Favorite band besides the Fold?"  
Cole: Skillet. I FEEL LIKE A MONSTAH  
Me: For Zane, "From a scale from 1-10 how much do you love Pixal?"  
Zane: 10.  
Me: Aww. For Lloyd, "Do you think Kai's is still mad about you being the green ninja?(Tylor:But seriously KAI GET OVER IT! YOU'RE NOT THE GREEN NINJA! IF YOU WERE YOU HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE AT IT! Kai:-_- Tylor:Heh.)"  
Lloyd: I don't... think so. I mean, while he's under the effect of the dark matter he probably is. We really need to get him changed back...  
Windy: AHA! GOT YOU!  
LabRatFlutieKat: YIKES!  
Me: WINDY! NO KILLING THE REVIEWERS!  
Windy: Dang.  
Me: Finally, Sweetfierce says to Morro, "Come back!"  
Dark Morro: no.  
Me: ...  
Morro: Hey, what just happened?  
Lloyd: YOU'RE BACK! :D  
Me: On that happy note - Ronin, if you would?  
Ronin: See ya around!**

 **~FFF**

 **P.S. If anyone has any plot ideas for a father's day oneshot, please let me know! I want to write one but I'm short on ideas. :c**


	20. Escape

**Heeeeey, looks like I'm going to manage to post this in time after all.**

 **KRR: Miraculous Ladybug OCs? Cool! I don't have any of those, except this one that was like a jellyfish power miraculous when I was RPing with my little sibs... haha. And why exactly is Kai crabby?**

 **MikachuWriting: Well then you're in luck. *thumbs up***

 **Starry: Kloey you clod. *throws cookies at her and runs away***

 **Nurse Medusa: Animal powers are popular, what can I say? *shrugs* Probably the Golden Armor will come back next season, since it's like a big bring-back-all-the-bad-guys season. At least, I hope it does.**

 **The Pink Ninja: Wow, you have a lot of OCs. I've only ever developed Indigo... I have a couple others, Core and Austin, but they're both... dead. Heh. I have a million fanfiction ideas I want to write, I'm just too busy with the two I'm writing now. :P I'm still looking forward to reading your story. ^ ^**

 **Samantha: *screams and runs away***

 **Tq: Because. God. Says. Homosexuality. Is. A. Sin. You know, he really does. Whenever he mentions homosexuality, he's condemning it. Other Christians want to believe that being homosexual is fine, so they manipulate the Bible so it says it's fine. You know what? I wish homosexuality was fine too. It would make my life so much freakin' simpler. But it's not. And I refuse to twist the Bible's words to fit what I WANT to be true instead of what IS true.**

* * *

Chapter 20

Zane shrank back against the wall as Morro approached, a tray of dark matter in his hands. Everything was happening so fast, his processor was struggling to keep up. Only minutes ago, he was guarding Kai in the hold of the Bounty and talking with P..I.X.A.L. about the schematics for her new body. Then, Nadakhan had appeared, whisking him away to Chen's island almost before he had a chance to raise the alarm. Morro was there, already infected. Lloyd must have failed to rescue him in time. The Overlord wasn't in the room, so Nadakhan had chained him to a wall with Vengestone cuffs, neutralizing his powers. A couple minutes after that, the Overlord appeared and immediately ordered that they infect him. For dramatic effect, Chen had told Morro to do it. And now Zane was going to be a slave, just like him. At least P.I.X.A.L. would be safe, her files were backed up in the Falcon, so she could escape there when he was infected. Morro stopped in front of him, his cold, emotionless eyes staring down at him. Zane shuddered. He could never get used to his friends being turned into the Overlord's slaves. After a few tense moments, the ghost overturned the tray and a cloud of purple enveloped the nindroid as he squeezed his eyes shut, flinching as the cold, deadly sensation overtook him.

 _"REBOOTING"_ the word flashed across his otherwise-black vision, and he opened his eyes in surprise, looking down at himself. He was still him. What happened?  
 _"Zane."_ P.I.X.A.L.'s voice echoed through his head. _"I backed up your hard drive onto the Falcon, then reloaded it just as you started to change."_

 _"Thank you!"_ he exclaimed silently as the Overlord began to yell at his minions. _"Where are you? Perhaps I can break out while their guard is down."_

 _"Look up."_ Zane looked up at her instruction to see his Falcon perched on one of the beams across the top of the room, its eyes glowing blue in the darkness. _"Do not attempt to escape now. Morro is right there. Listen to them, perhaps we can gather some information about their plans."_

 _"Good idea."_

"That's a piece of dark matter wasted!" the Overlord was raging at Chen. "It will be days before we can get more! What will we do until then?!"

"We could just lie low." Soul Archer suggested.  
"No. Every hour counts." the Overlord muttered.  
"We could order our spy to sabotage them." Chen suggested. Zane's eyes widened. A spy? This was new.

"No, it would be too easy for her to get caught. We need her to keep giving us information." the creature of darkness dismissed it.

"Oh? I think her powers will let her blend right in." Chen smirked. "Morro, guard him." he ordered the wind master. "Overlord, Soul Archer, let's talk somewhere else. That robot might be able to contact the other ninja, and I don't want to risk him hearing our plans."

"Right." Soul Archer nodded and the three evil masterminds left the room, Wrayth and Ghoultar following them out. Only Morro remained, who took a few steps away and set down the now-empty tray before folding his arms and glaring at the chained ice master. Zane wondered if he was completely under the Overlord's control. It was possible that he had been infected with a lower dose of the poison than Kai, right? It wouldn't hurt to try.  
"Do you hate me?" Zane asked the ghost quietly.

"Yes." he answered without hesitation. Well, that was easy. Maybe he could get some information out of him. If he hadn't been specifically ordered not to tell him anything, would he?

"What is the Overlord planning to do?" the ice master asked.

"Take over Ninjago." was the infected ghost's reply. That wasn't very helpful.

"What are his plans?"

"To take over Ninjago." ...okay.

"Who is the spy?"

"Stop trying to get information out of me!" Morro snapped, making Zane jump. "I'm not stupid! I know what you're trying to do!"  
"Right... _P.I.X.A.L., can you distract him? Use the new upgrades on the Falcon to free me. I should be able to stop him long enough to escape."_

 _"Affirmative."_ the female A.I. replied. A moment later, a clay pot on the other side of the room shattered, startling both Zane and his captor. Slowly, Morro began to walk towards the other side of the room, looking around for whatever caused it. Silently, the Falcon swooped down next to Zane and picked the locks of his chains with its beak, making them clatter to the floor and alerting Morro of his attempt to escape. With a yell of rage, the ghost send a gale-force wind at him as he jumped to his feet, making him slam into the wall. Quickly, Zane summoned his elemental dragon and shot a burst of his element at the ghost, trapping him in a chunk of ice. As that would only give him a few moments, the nindroid froze the ceiling, then burst through it on his dragon's back. He was out. _"Zane, Morro is no longer trapped in the ice. He is coming up to meet you."_ P.I.X.A.L. alerted him.

 _"Thanks for the warning."_ Zane replied as the ghost blasted out of the temple on his dragon, trying to knock him out of the sky by churning up the air around him. Fortunately, the ice master managed to stay in the air, and froze a chunk of ice to one of Morro's dragon's wings. As the ghost spiraled to the ground, Zane took off towards the ocean. _"P.I.X.A.L., which way to Ninjago?"_ he asked silently, as his navigation systems were still recalibrating.

 _"Turn 80 degrees to your right."_ was her reply, and he followed her instructions. He had to get back as fast as possible, before the Overlord's spy had a chance to make her move.

* * *

 **oH MY GHOST THERE'S A SPY**

 **SPOOOOOOOOKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY**

 **Me: GUYS HELP  
Lloyd: What?  
Me: SAMANTHA WANTS YOU TO KILL ME  
Lloyd: I can relate. Guys, ATTACK!  
All the ninja: RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH  
** **Me: ARE YOU SERIOUS  
*later*  
Me: *pokes head out from closet* I lost them.  
Morro: Why are we in a closet?  
Lloyd: Yeah, what are we doing here?  
Me: Because Sweetfierce wants you two to have a dance-off. With everyone.  
Morro: What?!  
Lloyd: Huh?!  
Me: *snaps fingers and closet transforms into dance room* By the way, Lloyd, you have to wear a spiderman suit.  
Lloyd: a WHAT?  
Me: SPIDERMAAAAAAAAAAAAN  
Lloyd: What... am I wearing...?  
Morro: Can I leave?  
Lloyd: DON'T ABANDON ME!  
Me: FIGHT  
Overlord: I cannot dance.  
Cole: I CAN  
Sweetfierce: *on her dragon* LET THE PARTYING COMMENCE  
Dragon: *breathes rainbows*  
Kai: COLOR OVERLOAD I'M GOING TO DIE  
Lloyd: WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE  
Me: Oh, and I forgot to mention. Morro gets lots of shrimp.  
Morro: Yay!  
Me: If you need me, I'll be sneaking off to arrange my birthday party since my birthday is tomorrow. *puts on MLG sunglasses and walks backwards out of the room***

 **~FFF**


	21. Calm

**um**

 **well**

 **I appear to be posting a week late.**

 **wHOOPS**

 **Ahaha, sorry about that. I was volunteering at my church's Vacation Bible School for all of last week, so I had a ton less free time on the computer. Cough. Also I have literally 2 minutes to post this so I can't do review replies or questions if there are any or anything so sorryyyyyyyyyyyy!**

* * *

Chapter 21

"LLOYD! COLE!" Lloyd woke up to his name being yelled into Cole's bedroom, and he blinked his tired eyes open as Jay barged in. "Zane's back! He escaped!"

"What?" the blond boy sat up immediately, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "How?!"

"I dunno. Sensei just sent me to wake you up. Now c'mon!" with that, the blue ninja ran out of the bedroom again. Throwing the blankets off of him, Lloyd slipped out of bed and ran down the hall outside to the living room, where Jay had gone. Zane was there, as well as most of the others in the monastery.

"Zane!" the green ninja exclaimed, catching the nindroid's attention. "You're alright!"

"Indeed I am." The ice master smiled. "P.I.X.A.L. reloaded my hard drive immediately after I was struck with the dark matter, so it canceled out the effects."  
"Really? So it doesn't affect you?"

"Apparently not."  
"Cool!" Kloey exclaimed, popping up behind the nindroid and making him jump. "That's sure to come in handy."

"…who are you?" Zane asked with a frown.

"This is Kloey." Lloyd introduced her as she handspring-ed away. "She's a shapeshifter we met just after you were captured.

"I… see." Zane nodded slowly. "Please excuse us for a moment." Grabbing Lloyd's wrist, the ice master pulled him out of the room, down the hall, and into his own room. "Lloyd, I think Kloey is a spy."

"What?" the blond boy frowned. "Why?"

"While I was there, I heard Chen say something about a spy." Zane's eyes lit up, projecting an image on the wall of the Overlord, Soul Archer, and Master Chen standing in an ornate room.

 _"We could order our spy to sabotage them."_ Lloyd jumped slightly as Chen's voice coming from Zane's head.

 _"No, it would be too easy got her to get caught_." The Overlord rumbled in reply. _"We need her to keep giving us information."_

 _"Oh? I think her powers will let us blend right in."_ Chen smirked, then Zane's eyes dimmed and the image faded.

"Of course, she's a shapeshifter!" Lloyd slammed his fist into his hand, narrowing his eyes. "And she just popped up out of nowhere! It has to be her!"

"Then what do we do? Do we reveal her?" Zane asked.

"No… maybe we can feed her some fake information. She has to have some way of contacting the Overlord, right? Maybe we can trick her into telling him the wrong stuff. But we can't let her know that we're onto her. We'll have to assign someone to keep her away from our meetings, because if we leave her alone she'll just sneak out and listen to us anyway." The two were silent for a few moments before Zane said,

"What about Lea? Her enhanced sight and hearing could help keep track of Kloey."

"Good idea." Lloyd nodded. "We'll need to keep it subtle, though. We can't just say, "Go sit in a closet while we have our meeting for absolutely no reason at all". We need a valid excuse."

"We can think of excuses as we go." Zane shrugged. "Come, we need to tell the others."

"You do that. I'll distract Kloey." The green ninja agreed. "C'mon." With that, the two left Zane's room and walked down the hall to rejoin the others.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Well _there_ you are." Kai said in a loud, exasperated voice as a hooded figure slipped into his cell. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"Pipe down, will you?" the figure hissed, straightening her glasses with one hand as she quietly closed the door. "That annoying twerp I was stuck with will be down here any minute to take this shift with me, so I need to make this fast."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Kai folded his arms boredly, leaning back against the wall of his cell. "Just get a move on."

"I think they're onto me. They're making me stick around this other girl, and they won't tell me why." The girl glanced at the door, nervously brushing her black hair out of her face. "And I'm pretty sure I heard Lloyd say the word "spy"."

"Or maybe you're just paranoid." The infected fire ninja rolled his eyes. "They're pairing _everyone_ up, remember?"

"Yes, but-"

"And besides, if they suspected you, why are they letting you guard me?"

"I don't know! Shut up!" she snarled. "Just deliver the message!"

"Fine, fine, fine…" Kai sighed loudly, turning away and falling silent. There was silent in the room for a few moments before the ex-ninja said in a high-pitched voice, "Nyeeeh, the ninja are gonna find me out, which I don't want because, I'm a noble person and I wanna help them, mee mee mee mee mee…" the hooded girl whirled around to face him to see that he was an exact copy of her, the Changeling Stone glowing faintly in his pocket.

"Shut up, you idiot!" she hissed as he laughed. "I am as loyal to the Overlord as you are, and you know it!"

"Oh come on. I've seen the way you act around them. You're getting more attached to them than you want to let on."

"Give me that!" the spy reached through the bars and snatched the stone out of his pocket, making him immediately revert back to his normal form.

"Hey!" he yelped, trying to grab it back. "Give that back!"

"Not if you're only going to mock me with it." The black haired girl put the crystal in her own pocket, glaring at the fire master from beneath her hood.

"I'll tell the Overlord you stole it!"

"So what? You don't need it."

"Neither do you!"

"So it doesn't matter who has it."

"Jerk."

"Brat." The two glared at each other for a few moments before the spy turned around and opened the door again, saying, "I seem to have lost my partner. I'm going to go find her. Then I'll be back."

"Suit yourself." Kai muttered boredly. "Don't worry about me, I'll be right here, being incredibly bored forever."

"Oh, stop whining." The spy gave him one last condescending glance before turning and stalking out of the room.

* * *

 **Oh yeah! And, in case you hadn't noticed, I have posted a few stories and oneshots and things unrelated to this story, and will be posting more soon. I'll probably be replying to reviews in this in a oneshot called Grave Danger. Please check that out, and bye!**

 **~FFF**


	22. The Golden Armor

**Heeeeyyy, I'm updating a day early. c:**

 **...unless you count me not updating on Wednesday last week as this being late. :/ Sorry. I did post that Grave Danger thing I was talking about, though. If you haven't already seen it, go reeeeaaad iiiiiiiiiiiit**

 **Also, in case you missed me saying this in Not Alone(?), thank you everyone who wished me a happy birthday!** ❤︎

 **Review replies:**

 **LabRatFlutieKat: WHY YOU ALWAYS HATING LLOYDDDDDDDDDDD :C Ah well whatever. You don't even need to attack him, he gets beat up enough in this story already. xD**

 **KRR: "What in the world is a Miraculous Ladybug?" Gee, I dunno, Nya. I'm impressed you came up with so many OCs. I still don't even have one. xD Oh my gosh, Jay. You're a nut. Just a note, you shouldn't say "Jesus" or "God" casually like that. It's against the third commandment, "You should not use God's name in vain". Just thought I'd point it out, since a lot of Christians don't know this. :)**

 **Nurse Medusa: Season 7 is going to be VERY intresting. :D**

 **Samantha: I'm used to you blowing up. ;) I hope you have fun!**

 **The Pink Ninja: Sounds like a good to-do list. Did I already tell you that my sister Ally's nemesis is named Logan? If I did, I forgot. ^ ^'**

 **Sweetfierce: You monster. Why would you embarrass poor Lloyd? :c Sure thing. ^ ^**

 **Dragonborn: Thank you so much for the kind words! It really means a lot to me to know that there's someone else who shares my beliefs. Christians like that are rare. Again, thank you so much.** ❤︎ **Though my computer is a little funky with it, I do read things on Wattpad, yes. I'd be happy to read your story. ^ ^ What's it called?**

 **Starry: Wow, Kloey. How dare you.**

 **By the way, everyone, my good friend Oceangirl246's birthday was on the 6th. She's an amazing author, as well as an amazing friend, please check her stories out and wish her a happy birthday! ^u^**

* * *

Chapter 22

"The Golden Armor? Oh yes, yes. I'll have it sent to the Monastery right away." Cyrus Borg agreed. "Just a warning, I will be sending a squadron of Nindroids alone with it, as well as a couple of soldiers, so don't be surprised when they show up."

"Okay." Lloyd nodded absently, though the tech genius couldn't see him through the phone. "Who are these soldiers?"

"W-well, 'soldiers' probably isn't the right name for them." Cyrus corrected himself. "They're a pair of fighters I observed fighting some rogue serpentine in Hiroshi's Labyrinth recently. I contacted them and asked me if they could help me with some things. You probably won't have heard of them, but their names are Zach and Appo."

"Nope, never heard of them."

"They are very good fighters, nonetheless. I will ask them to stay and help with your, ah, Overlord problem." the older man chuckled uneasily. "I do hope the Golden Armor works."  
"Yeah, me too."

"Just remember, be _very_ careful with it. One wrong move, and all of you could be dead."

"Don't worry, I remember."

"And, also make sure the Overlord does not get his hands on it. He is the only one who can control it, and, if he got it, he could be invincible."

"I know. Thanks, Dr. Borg."

"Good luck, Lloyd." With that, the inventor hung up, leaving Lloyd in the silence of his room. The green ninja sighed as he turned off his phone, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He was exhausted. Last night's planning had gone far into the night, and even after they had gone to bed he still couldn't sleep. He hadn't fallen asleep until it was almost morning, and he'd only gotten about half an hour of sleep. No one would miss him if he took a quick nap, would they? Nah. Setting down his phone, Lloyd lay down on the bed he had been sitting on and closed his eyes, letting his exhaustion overcome him and falling asleep within moments.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Lloyd! Wake up!" Lloyd was jolted awake by a strange sensation, and he opened his eyes to see Jessica bouncing on his bed.

"Wha- Jessica, be careful! You're gonna-" he broke off as she tripped over his leg and landed on top of him, her head almost crashing into his before she caught herself. They stared into each others' eyes for a few moments, both of them blushing, before the smaller girl scrambled off him, stuttering,

"Sorry! M-Misako told me to get you and I kinda got overexcited." She laughed awkwardly.

"No, i-it's okay." Lloyd cleared his throat, trying to keep from stuttering. "Why did Mom want me?"

"Oh yeah! There's a giant army of killer robots on the front lawn."

"There's a _what?!_ "

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"I really hope this works…" Lloyd said uneasily as he watched the large, black box float down the stairs to the Monastery's basement.

"So do I." the bearded man at the bottom of the stairs replied, his arm outstretched in front of him as he maneuvered the crate down the stairs. "If what Cyrus tells about the Overlord is true, you need all the power you can get." Zach was certainly an interesting person. His appearance was unlike most others in Ninjago, his neat beard and tan robes made him look like some pictures he had seen of Sensei when he was younger. He wielded a strange, glowing sword made of a magic crystal, which retreated into the hilt when it wasn't being used. It reminded him of the ninja's elemental blades. He didn't know if he was from another Realm or something, but somehow he had telekinesis and heightened reflexes. His friend, Appo, had no such powers, he just had a big gun. Appo looked more like a normal soldier, clean-shaven and dressed in camouflage clothing. Both of them were friendly enough, and they seemed to be nice people. Hopefully they fought as well as they talked. After a few minutes of guiding it through the narrow hallways, Zach got the crate with the Golden Armor in it into the room with Kai's cell, much to the infected fire ninja's surprise.

"What are you doing? What is that?!" the red ninja demanded. "What's going on?!"

"I don't think you need to know." Lloyd shrugged as the others filed into the room behind him.

"Hmph." Kai huffed, folding his arms.

"Jay, Cole, bring him out." The green ninja instructed. "Hold him in front of the box. Be careful not to let him escape."

"Got it." Cole nodded and stepped forward, taking the key from a hook on the wall and unlocking the cell.

"Hey!" Kai exclaimed as the two took ahold of his wrists, pulling him out of the cell. "What are you doing? What is that?!"

"Hold him still. We can't let him touch the armor." Lloyd reminded them as the fire ninja struggled to escape their grip.

"Armor? The Golden Armor?" Kai guessed. "What are you trying to do?! Kill me?!"

"Ignore him." Lloyd's dad told his son. "He's just trying to make you too nervous to do this."

"I know. I still really hope this works." Lloyd took a deep breath, then walked to the front of the crate and turned a handle. Slowly, a portion of the black metal slid away, letting golden light spill out over Kai. Immediately, the red ninja twisted away, letting out a yell of rage.

"Stop it!" he yelled, trying to break away from Cole and Jay.

"It's working!" the blue ninja exclaimed. Indeed, Kai's gray skin was starting to lighten, and his purple eyes were starting to fade. Quickly, Lloyd turned the handle farther, opening the box more and bathing Kai in the golden light. He could see the armor now, stacked on a rack inside the crate. The opening was pretty big, now, too. Big enough for someone to fall through. They needed to be careful. Abruptly, Kai rammed his elbow backwards into Jay's stomach, making the blue ninja stagger backwards as he gasped for breath. The fire ninja proceeded to throw Cole off him and into the wall before jumping out of the way of the light. Directly towards Lloyd. The blond boy barely had time to raise his hands to defend himself before Kai grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and dragged him towards the box housing the Golden Armor. Since he was horribly off balance, the fire master had no trouble shoving him up against the opening of the box, only stopped when Lloyd threw his arms out to either side to keep himself from falling through.

"Don't any of you move!" the red ninja yelled as the others moved to help him. "Or I'll push him in."

"He's already trying to-" Lloyd tried to say, but he was cut off when Kai punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and making him gasp for breath.  
"Don't talk!" the fire master yelled in his face, making Lloyd wince. After a moment, he realized that he was blocking the light from hitting Kai. Some was still hitting him, though, right? Was it enough to change him back? "Just surrender." The infected ninja snarled. "You know you can't win. The Overlord will keep picking you off, one-by-one, until there's no one left. Then he'll kill you all." Lloyd just stared back at him defiantly, trying to push him back. Unfortunately, the red ninja was in a much stronger position, and it was all he could do to not be pushed into the Armor. If Kai pushed him another inch, he would be dead. How was he going to get out of this?! "Well? Are you going to surrender? If you do, I won't kill you." Kai smirked.  
"You told me not to talk." Lloyd muttered, looking at the ground and trying to lower his opponent's guard.

"Fine. If you're answering my questions, you can talk. Now surrender!" The pressure on him increased, and the green ninja's eyes went wide as his arms slipped. The others were frozen, afraid that, if they moved, Kai would kill him instantly. Wait, no, someone was moving. Kloey? He couldn't attract Kai's attention to her, though, so he stalled him, pretending to think about it.

"Um…" he stared at the floor, biting his lip. "…what happens to the others if I surrender?"

"If they value your life, they'll surrender too." Kai replied, his voice cold and hard. "If not, well…" And then something hit him. Kloey pounced on Lloyd from the side, knocking him out of Kai's grip and onto the floor. As he sat up, gasping with relief, he looked up just in time to see the fire master topple into the box.

* * *

 **whoops**

 **Me: Alright, looks like we've got quite a few questions today...  
Lloyd: WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU  
Me: Hmm?  
Lloyd: YOU JUST KILLED KAI. WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU  
Me: Oh shush. He's not dead.  
Lloyd: He's not?  
Me: Not here, anyway. He has questions for him!**  
 **Lloyd: ...you're heartless.**  
 **Me: Thanks. Anyway, I think I'll split these up, since there's just a million of them... Let's see. For Kai, from LabRatFlutieKat, (LRFK) "If you could have any other elemental power, even if we've never heard of it in season 4 or something, what would it be?"  
Kai: I'd like the power to control time. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone with that power, but it would be really cool.  
Me: Heheheheh...  
Kai: What?  
Me: Nothing. Next for Kai, from The Pink Ninja, "First, turn back to nice, regular Kai, then Dye your hair hot pink!"  
Kai: I'm already normal, and, didn't I do this once before...?  
Me: Who cares? *bamf*  
Kai: MY HAIR  
Me: Shush. Next, for Lloyd, from LRFT, "If someone else had to be the green ninja, who would you want it to be? Also... *grins evilly* GET OVER HERE!"  
Lloyd: Probably Kai. He worked the hardest to try to earn the Green Ninja title way back before we knew, and he's pretty heroic and brave. Also, NO! *runs away*  
Me: Next for Lloyd, from The Pink Ninja, "Burn a mountain of candy!"  
Lloyd: WHY ARE YOU ALL SO MEAN?!  
Diamond: They just are.  
Lloyd: Ugh, fine. Kai, get over here.  
Me: Next from LRFT, for Jay, "What would be worse, your parents embarrassing you, or putting on that dress (the one you wore in that one episode in season one trying to find out who the samurai was) in front of everybody for a full day?"**  
 **Jay: My parents embarrassing me. The dress wasn't that bad.  
Me: Mm-hmm. Also for Jay, from The Pink Ninja, "Zap everyone with lightning!"  
Jay: This, I can do.  
Lloyd: HEY!  
Kai: OW!  
Zane: JAY!  
Cole: Hahahahaha, it went through me because I'm a gh OHMYGOSH JAY GET THAT WATER AWAY FROM ME YOU IDIOT  
Me: Next, for Nadakhan-  
Cole: Wait, Nadakhan? I thought you were going to do me next!  
Me: Nah, I'm saving your for next time. From Sweetfierce, "he gets a new haircut, sees Dilra die all over again and is tickled mercilessly... in a Meap suit."  
Nadakhan: WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS  
Me: You deserve it.  
Nadakhan: HEY! I liked my hair! And what even is a "meap"?!  
Me: I think it's like an alien from a TV shows... idk I just googled it. :/  
Nadakhan: AHAHAHHAHAHAHA STOPPIT  
Diamond: NEVER  
Me: Welp, that's all for now. This is over a page long. :P Before I go, though, I was wondering if anyone else played League of Legends. I've recently gotten into it, and it would be really fun to play with y'all. My summoner name is 1stFandomFangirl. See ya around!  
Ronin: WHY**

 **~FFF**


	23. Brave

**welp**

 **I am short on time**

 **my mom's kicking me off in like 5 minutes and I don't know if I'll be able to get on again for the rest of the day**

 **but I'm pretty sure you're eager to see whether or not Kai died**

 **so**

 **no review replies or questions sorry**

* * *

Chapter 23

Lloyd was frozen with horror as his brother toppled into the box with the armor. No. No, no, no no no no no! This wasn't supposed to happen! There was no way anyone could survive that! Before anyone could move, a zapping sound came from the box and a flash of golden light blinded them all. When the light dimmed, Kai was gone. Lloyd felt his eyes fill with tears, but they were startled away by Jay's shout.

"Kai!" Shocked, the blond boy turned around to see Kai, sitting against the far wall, alive and unharmed. Not only that, but he was _normal_. The effect of the dark matter was gone. Quickly, Lloyd scrambled to his feet as Jay pulled Kai to his, running across the room and hugging the fire ninja tight.

"You're okay!" he exclaimed as Jay hugged them as well, prompting Kai to hug them back. "I-I thought, w-when you hit the golden armor…"

"Golden armor? What?" the red ninja sounded confused. "What happened? The last thing I remember is being on a date with Skylor… then I got captured. By… the Overlord?"

"That was like a week ago!" Jay said as Zane, Nya, and Cole ran over to join the hug.

"Yeah, you got turned evil." Cole told him. "With dark matter."

"On no. Did I hurt anyone?" Kai asked worriedly.

"Well… you were kinda trying to kill me thirty seconds ago." Lloyd chuckled awkwardly. "If that counts."

"Oh man, Lloyd, I'm so sorry." The fire ninja hugged him tighter.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." The green ninja assured him. "The Overlord was controlling you."

"If you say so." Kai shrugged. "But, if I'd been more careful, and not let myself get caught, I wouldn't have done that."

"Like he said, it's not your fault." Nya said firmly. "Come on, let's go upstairs and we can fill you in on what's happened."

"Works for me." Kai agreed. "But, before that, I'm starving. You guys got anything to eat?"

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Bansha slowly walked down the hill towards the Monastery, trying to convince herself that this wasn't a bad idea. This was what Morro told her to do. Lloyd wouldn't hurt her. Right? Ugh. She had to do this now, before she thought about it too much and changed her mind. Stopping in front of the door, she only hesitated for a moment before knocking timidly. She backed away a few paces, not wanting to be vulnerable in case they attacked. For about a minute, she waited, but only heard the same loud voices inside. Had they not heard her? Stepping forward again cautiously, she knocked again, this time harder. This time they heard her. After a moment, she heard footsteps coming towards her, and backed away. A couple seconds later, the door opened, revealing a short, brown-haired girl standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?" the girl asked bluntly. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"I-"

"Wait, I remember you. You're evil. Lloyd!" the girl yelled, taking a step back. "There's an evil ghost on the porch!"

"I am _not_ evil!" Bansha hissed, backing away farther as she heard running footsteps.

"Uh, yeah you are. You locked us in jail and tried to murder us." The girl rolled her eyes. A second later, the ninja appeared in the hall, led by… Kai?

"Bansha?!" Lloyd exclaimed in surprise. "What are YOU doing here?!" the blade master swallowed. Maybe she shouldn't have done this after all. "Guys, surround her. Attack if she makes any wrong moves." The green ninja ordered.  
"Why don't we just attack her now?" Jay asked, earning himself a glare from the female ghost as he obeyed.

"If she had the decency to knock instead of just sneaking in, she probably came in peace." Lloyd pointed out. "Give her a chance." Wow. Morro was right. Lloyd _was_ nice. "Bansha, again, what are you doing here?"

"I want to help you." She fought to keep her voice even. "Morro told me to come here. I tried to help him escape, but I failed and he sent me here."

"Um, that's the most cliché excuse ever." Jay rolled his eyes. "And she's a telepath, remember? She's probably trying to gain our trust so she can report our plans to the Overlord." Bansha bristled at the accusation, but inside she knew how bad this sounded. If she didn't find some way to prove herself, she could be in trouble.

"I know it sounds fake, but, please, trust me." She pleaded. "I can give you information about the Overlord. I can help." After a moment, she added, "Please don't hurt me." Lloyd exchanged glances with the brown-haired girl.

"I guess." He said at last. "You can stay with us, but, for now, you're staying in the deepstone cell in the basement."

"Fine." She nodded grudgingly. "Better than being out here where the Overlord can find me." She muttered under her breath.

"Alright. Cole, help me take her down to the basement." Lloyd instructed. The ghost ninja nodded and took her arm, leading her into the Monastery as Lloyd followed.

"When Morro came to live with you, you didn't lock _him_ up." the blade master spoke up as the two led her into the basement.

"The circumstances were different. We're in the middle of a war." the blond ninja shook his head in the corner of her eye. "If you're sincere, I'm sorry. But I have no way of knowing for sure if you're telling the truth or not." Bansha was silent and he went on. "When I met Morro again for the first time, he didn't find me, I found him. He didn't like me at first. I had to gain his trust. Just like you're trying to gain mine. Besides, you just _kidnapped_ him almost a week ago. Why would you try to let him escape?"

"Hey, I let Indigo go." she defended herself.  
"What?" Lloyd frowned. "You captured her, too?"

"Sort of." They all turned around at Indigo's voice to see her following them down the stairs. "Wrayth told Morro to give up so he'd let me go, but, when Morro let them tie him up, Wrayth wouldn't. Bansha forced him to let go of me." The ghost girl looked away, playing with a strand of her hair. "That's why I followed you down here. I wanted to say thanks. So… thanks."

"You're welcome." Bansha nodded. Indigo made eye contact with her for a moment before vanishing from sight. The blade master blinked in surprise at the spot where she had been. "Where did she go?"

"She turned invisible. It's a new thing we figured out ghosts can do." Cole shrugged. "Come on." With that, they continued down the stairs and into the basement.

* * *

 **kAI'S NOT DEAD**

 **YAY**

 **Sorry Pink Ninja, not this chapter. I'll probably just make a Dare Show thing since I get so many questions every time and it just makes a huge A/N that really annoys me. :/ Well, hope y'all have a good week!**

 **~FFF**


	24. Evil Never Sleeps

**I think I have time for review replies...**

 **Nurse Medusa: Yes. Something is very wrong with you. xD Just kidding, it just means you're a psychopath like me. *sunglasses***

 **KRR: Yeah, Lloyd, get with the program.**

 **The Pink Ninja: You died? Oh dear. Someone punch your murderer for me.**

 **Nicktastic Productions: Yep, I do play LoL. I don't think you ever sent me a friend request. Did you? Also, how long is Victoria's hair? Just curious.**

 **That didn't take long.**

* * *

Chapter 24

"So..." the Overlord muttered, pacing back and forth in the main room of Chen's temple. "...they managed to free Kai..."

"And they have the Golden Armor." Chen added. "You're the only one who can control it, right? If you could get it, you'd be unstoppable."

"Indeed." the creature of darkness nodded. "The first time I attempted to take over, I had the dark matter. The second, the Golden Armor. I can obtain both, not the golden ninja, nor his nindroid friend could stop me."

"This is the third time you have tried to take over?" Nadakhan tilted his head.

"Yes."

"And you failed both times so far?"

"Does it look like I'm in charge?" the Overlord sent him a withering glare. "Of course I failed. Thanks to that bratty green ninja and his pesky friends."

"I don't think any of you realize something." the Overlord turned around at his slave's voice to see Morro leaning against the wall with his arms folded, his glowing eyes meeting his own calmly. "With Kai cured, Lloyd can get his golden powers back."

"Wait, what?" Soul Archer frowned. "How?"

"If the green ninja and his protectors travel to the Temple of Light, and the protectors transfer their powers to him, he will be granted the power of Creation." Morro;s voice was monotone, like he was repeating something he had heard before. "Lloyd's mother did a lot of research on the prophecy of the green ninja. I read through some of it. Like he gave up his golden power to give them back their elements, they can give up their elements to give him back his golden power."

"That could be… bad." The Overlord muttered. "It's possible that exposure to Lloyd's power would do the same thing as exposure to the Amor. It could cure dark matter."

"And we can't have that, can we?" Morro smiled darkly. "Your next course of action should be to make sure he doesn't make it onto the Dark Island."

"Right." The Overlord started to nod, but then stopped and scowled. "Why are _you_ telling _me_ what to do? You're my slave."

"I'm not telling you what to do. It was a suggestion." The wind master replied. The Overlord opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by Chen's phone ringing. The former Sensei pulled it out of his pocket, then fumbled with it for a moment before answering.

"Hello?"

"Shh." Came the voice on the other side. Their spy. "It's me. I managed to sneak away from the ninja for a few minutes. I assume you already know they cured Kai?"

"Yes, the Overlord felt it as soon as it happened." Chen replied. "Anything else happen?"

"Well… I took the Changeling Stone from Kai a little while ago, because I needed it more than he did, but… I kinda lost it."

"What?!" the former noodle tycoon demanded. "Lost it? How could you lose it?!"

"It fell out of my pocket in the chaos while they were trying to turn Kai back, and I couldn't find it. I think one of them might've picked it up."

"Oh. Great. Perfect." Chen grumbled.

"That's not all. Bansha showed up here."

"Bansha?!" Morro exclaimed in surprise. "I sent her there days ago! She only showed up now?"

"Morro says he told her to go there days ago." The red-haired man passed the message on. "Did she just get here tonight?"

"Yeah, just about an hour ago. They don't trust her, though, so they locked her in the cell where they were keeping Kai."

"Good riddance." The infected ghost muttered.

"Alright. If that's all, you should get back to spying on the Ninja."

"There's one more thing. I met a girl earlier who wants to join you."  
"Oh?" Chen frowned. "Can she be trusted?"

"I found her selling stolen goods in a warehouse, and I checked her record. She was imprisoned at a young age in Krypterium for selling powerful teas on the black market, and she promptly broke out. She's a full-blown crook."

"Alright, send her to meet me at the dock tomorrow night." Chen instructed. "What does she look like?"

"Blond hair with purple streaks, tan skin. She was wearing a purple hoodie with black sweatpants when I saw her last. She has a sort of… crafty look about her. She'll be easy to recognize. Though I doubt there will be anyone else at the docks anyway at night. Oh, and her name's Victoria." She added.

"Okay. Is that it?"

"That's it. I'll report again when I find out anything more." With that, she hung up.

"I wonder if she'll be of any use..." Soul Archer mused.  
"Victoria? If not, I'll just infect her and send her to attack them." The Overlord shrugged. "She seems intelligent, though."  
"Yeah, it takes brains to break out of Krypterium." Chen agreed.

"How long do you think it will be before they find her out?" Nadakhan asked thoughtfully. "The spy. She cannot hide from them forever, even with her powers. Eventually, she will slip up, and they will turn on her."

"I don't know." Soul Archer shook his head. "She's very clever, but, like you said, she'll slip up eventually. Maybe we should order her to sabotage them and flee."

"No, we need her to keep spying for us. We've been over this already." The Overlord pointed out. "We need to know their plans ahead of time, so we can stop them before they start."

"How long is this going to take, anyway?" the djinn asked. "I want to get back to my Realm as soon as possible."

"Yes, yes, we know." The Overlord shook his head. "Another month at most. If you want to speed things up, help us think of some useful wishes to make."

"Fine."

"If that's all the strategizing we're going to do for tonight, I'm going to sleep." Chen said loudly. "I suggest you do the same. Except for you, Overlord. Do you even need to sleep?"

"No."

"Okay then. Just us then." With that, Chen wandered off to his own private quarters and the room descended into silence.

* * *

 **Ayyyy**

 **I'm just gonna make a Truth or Dare story for this Q and A thing. I don't have the energy to do this at the end of every chapter. -.-**

 **also A BOY HAS A CRUSH ON ME WHAT DO I DO ASWDNAGEOUFNSYGD**

 **~FFF**

 **P.S. I posted a bunch of oneshots and stuff** **if you haven't already** **read them plz**


	25. Strategy

**So I didn't have anything else to do so I wrote this and posted it**

 **Review replies:**

 **LabRatFlutieKat: You WANT the Overlord to win?**

 **KRR: Lavashipping bromance. Now there's an idea I can subscribe to.**

 **Sweetfierce: That works.**

 **DraconisWinters: I actually got three reviews on the first chapter hours after I posted it. I was ecstatic. Even if I hadn't gotten reviews, though, I spent about two months planning Return to the Cursed Realm, so I likely would have continued for a while.**

 **Ronin 27: It's possible... ;)**

 **The Pink Ninja: Oh yay, you're human again! :D He's not an annoying jerk, though I don't know him real well. I'm fairly sure he's a christian, since he goes to my youth group, so he's a nice guy. You have TWO people who have a crush on you? Wow. I got my fanfiction account when I was 12, I think... I didn't know there was supposed to be an age limit. xD**

 **have fun**

* * *

Chapter 25

"It's about a half-hour trip from here to the Dark Island." Lloyd traced a line on the map in front of him between the two islands. "We need to leave as soon as possible, so they hopefully won't have a chance to stop us. Only us ninja will need to go, and everyone else should stay to guard the golden armor."

"But what if you're attacked?" Indigo asked. "Will the five of you be able to take them?"

"Well… they've got Morro, and he's really powerful…" Lloyd mused. "But, I think all of us together will be enough. If anything, we can at least stall him long enough to get my golden power back."

"Soul Archer and his ghosts can fight too." Cole pointed out. "And Chen, the Overlord, and Nadakhan probably can too."

"But we'll be on our dragons." Kai spoke up. "How will they hit us if we're in the air?"

"Morro _controls_ the air." Lloyd deadpanned. "You're right, Cole, they probably can. We'll need some backup, then. Indigo, you should come."  
"What? Why me?!" she demanded.

"You're an elemental master. You can fight."

"I'm not very _good_ at it."

"You almost kidnapped me."

"You were asleep!"

"My point is, you were fearless. I'm the most powerful person in Ninjago."

"Yeah, what happened to you?" Kai asked her. "You used to be so… happy. Goofy. What happened to you?"

"I died." She replied flatly. "Let's talk about something else."

"I wanna come." Jessica announced. "I can take care of myself." She added as Lloyd opened his mouth to protest.

"She's right, son." His father spoke up. "She's fully capable of fending for herself. Don't be so overprotective."

"I'm not overprotective!" Lloyd said quickly. "I just don't want her getting hurt."

"Relax, green bean. I've got this." Jessica assured him. He hesitated for a moment before sighing and nodding.

"Fine. But you don't have a dragon, so you'll have to ride with one of us."

"She should ride with you." Kai said immediately.

"Yes. Definitely." Zane agreed.

"Um… okay." Lloyd was well aware that he was blushing.

"Actually, I think she should ride with me." Indigo spoke up. "If we are attacked, and we're losing, Jessica and I are the weakest fighters, so we should flee. And I know from experience that you'll tell us to run. Lloyd's the strongest, so, since he'll be fighting, he won't be able to leave with her and she doesn't have a dragon to escape by herself."

"She's right." Lloyd quickly agreed. He was afraid he might embarrass himself in front of her if she was riding with him on his dragon.

"Alright, that works." Kai shrugged. "What about Kloey?"

"We should definitely leave her." Jay said. "We can't have her knowing you have your golden powers back."

"Actually, it might be better if we _do_ bring her." Lloyd disagreed. "We can keep her out of trouble that way. Besides, if we leave her here then we'll have to leave Lea too."

"Oh yeah. If we're attacked, we'll definitely need her." Jay nodded. "When should we leave?"

"This afternoon." Lloyd answered. "Our dragons will stand out less in the daylight, and there's a lower chance the Overlord will attack. He hasn't revealed himself to the public yet, and I don't think he will until he's _sure_ he can win."  
"Good point." Cole agreed. "He wants to take them by surprise."

"And we don't want to cause a panic, so we're not telling them either." Lloyd paused. "We should probably tell the authorities, shouldn't we?"

"Do they need to know?" Kai asked.

"I think they'd like to have a bit of a warning if the Overlord launches a full-scale attack."

"True." the fire ninja nodded.

"Something just occurred to me." Lloyd's mom spoke up. "The natural source of dark matter is on the Dark Island, right? If the Overlord has dark matter, does that mean he's already there?"

"Good point." Lloyd frowned. "We last saw him on Chen's Island, which isn't far from there. He could easily have a boat bringing dark matter to his base."

"Yeah, he probably has some ghosts doing that. Soul Archer is like the king of the Cursed Realm, isn't he?" Jay asked. "He can tell any of the ghosts to do whatever he wants."

"And since the Overlord is in charge of Soul Archer, he's, effectively, in charge of all the ghosts." Zane agreed.

"How'd they get out of the Cursed Realm in the first place?" Cole asked thoughtfully. "Soul Archer and Chen were trapped there. How'd they get out?"

"Speaking of which, where was the Overlord?" Kai frowned. "If he came back after Zane killed him, where-"

"You can't kill him." Ni broke in. "He isss invincccible."

"Whatever. He vanished. But where did he _go_?"

"Maybe the Cursed Realm?" Zane suggested. "Perhaps the explosion from my death sent him across realms."

"It's possible." Jay mused. "A huge surge of energy _could_ replicate the energy signature of a portal."

"But, we were in the Cursed Realm for over a month." Lloyd pointed out. "I'm surprised he didn't attack us."

"Well, he hasn't attacked us here, at least, not with brute force." Cole replied. "He's biding his time, making a plan before taking action. And he's doing a pretty good job of it."

"I wonder if he's learned from his past mistakes." Sensei spoke up thoughtfully.

"Well, I know I have." Lloyd replied. "And what I learned is this: We can't kill him. We need to _not_ kill him. We need to trap him. If we kill him, he'll just come back."

"Yeah, but how do you trap the Overlord?" Jay asked. Silence. No one had and answer.

"We can think about that later." Lloyd said at last. "For now, let's get ready to go."

* * *

 **Sooo... do y'all LIKE Indigo?**

 **I ask because I feel really self-conscious about giving her a bigger role, or, like, giving her a role at all. Because I feel like people are going to bash me for making this all about my stereotypical only-good-as-a-love-interest OC.**

 **Meh.**

 **~FFF**


	26. Energized

**When you write a lot**

 **Review replies:**

 **The Pink Ninja: Yeah, 13 is the age for everything. Lol. I guess I cheated with fanfiction, didn't I? xD**

 **KRR: It's true, Kai. You are a hothead. xD Your mini stories always make me laugh. ^ ^**

* * *

Chapter 26

Lloyd walked out onto the Monastery's lawn, shielding his eyes with his hands as the sun hit him in the face. Nice and bright. Good. They'd be less visible that way. He summoned his dragon, hopping onto its back as the others summoned theirs behind him. Once everyone was ready, they took off.

"Fly high!" he called as they flew towards the coast. "The higher we are; the less attention we'll draw."

"Got it." Kai called back. Their dragons climbed quickly, and soon they were hundreds of feet above the city. Jay and Cole started singing "99 Bottles of Tea on the Wall", as they usually did on trips, and the others joined in. Lloyd grinned. He felt really excited. He was getting his golden power back. Kai was free. Soon, he could get Morro back. For once, it looked like they were winning.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Thanks for letting me ride on your dragon with you." Indigo smiled as Jessica, who was seated behind her with her arms around her waist, thanked her for the ride.

"No problem. Lloyd seemed a little uncomfortable about riding with you."

"What?" Jessica sounded confused. "Why? Doesn't he like me?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Huh?"

"Are you blind?" Indigo laughed. "He has a crush on you!"

"He WHAT?!" the brunette shrieked. Lloyd looked over at them in confusion and she covered her face with her hands.

"Yep." Indigo made an effort to keep her dragon steady, as Jessica wasn't holding on to her. "When are you going to tell him you have a crush on him?"

"Aaaackablhb. You _know?!_ "

"Yep."

"Don't tell him!" the daredevil girl begged.

"Why not? I told you he has a crush on you." The ghost girl smirked.

" _Indigo!_ " Jessica hissed. "If you tell him, I will literally kill you."

"He won't like that."

"I'll tell him it was an accident.

"Liar."

"Betrayer."  
"Idiot."

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"It seems lifeless." Zane said at last, his eyes dimming as he finished scanning the island. "Other than a few random energy signatures, which are probably wild animals, this place is abandoned."

"Good. Come on." Lloyd spurred his dragon onwards towards the temple, letting it disappear in the Temple of Light's courtyard and landing on the stone walkway. He waited for the others to land as well before walking inside.

"Wow. Dusty." Jessica remarked, her voice echoing in the large room.

"Hey Cole, look!" Jay exclaimed, running over to one of the walls. "It's that picture of you pointing at the wall!"  
"Yeah, I always thought that was kind of creepy." Cole shook his head. "C'mon, we don't have time to sightsee. The Overlord's goons could be after us, and we need to give Lloyd his power back as soon as possible."

"Right, right..." Jay sighed and ran over to his corner of the room, standing on the disk with the lightning symbol.

"Girls, stand back." Lloyd warned the four girls standing at the entrance of the temple. "This could get crazy."

"Right-o." Kloey chirped, and Lea rolled her eyes. The other ninja moved to their positions, then Lloyd threw a ball of green energy at the bell above him, causing it to ring loudly and begin to glow. He just had enough time to see the girls covering their ears before the light consumed him, lifting him into the air. After a few moments, energy surged through him, the familiar feeling of Golden Power at his fingertips. Then, just like the first time he got his Golden Power, the light vanished abruptly and he crashed to the ground.

"Stupid light." he muttered as the others ran over to make sure he was okay. Accepting Kai's offered hand up, Lloyd stumbled slightly before glancing around the room. "Where'd Kloey go?" he asked after a moment. Immediately, everyone looked around, but there was no sign of the shapeshifter girl. Just as Lloyd was about to order a search for her, they heard her cheerful voice coming from outside.

"Hey, guess who I found spying on us!" Confused, Lloyd walked outside to see Kloey holding two teenagers by their arms. One was a boy and one was a girl, and they looked moderately similar. The boy had short, fluffy black hair, while the girl had shoulder-length dark-blue hair. Their clothes were totally different, but the boy had a necklace shaped like a raindrop while the girl had one shaped like a fireball.

"We weren't spying!" the girl exclaimed, trying to pull her arm out of Kloey's grip.

"Yes, we were just curious about all the noise!" the boy agreed.

"Who are you? What are you doing on the Dark Island?" Lloyd asked with a frown.

'I'm Zaya." the girl introduced herself. "And this is Tylor. We got stuck here a while ago, and couldn't get back to the mainland, so we just stayed."

"How'd you get stuck here?" Jessica asked.

"I don't remember." Zaya shrugged. "But the-"

" _I_ remember." Tylor broke in. "It was six years and 138 days ago, and-"

"Shush, Tylor." Zaya cut him off. "I'm talking. Anyway, the magical energies on this island gave us magic powers! So now we're amazing!" the bluenette pumped her fist in the air. "Hey, you're the ninja, aren't you? Can we join your ninja team?"

"What? No. We already h-" Lloyd started to decline, but Indigo cut him off.

"Uh, guys? Didn't it used to be sunny?" the ghost girl pointed back in the direction of Ninjago, and the blond boy looked over to see a wall of dark clouds heading rapidly in their direction.

"Uh oh." he muttered. "Everyone, get inside the temple. We need to have shelter when that storm hits. And that's going to be any minute now."

* * *

 **Just a reminder that the events of season 6 have NOT happened in this fanfiction, so Jay and Nya do not know Nadakhan, Nadakhan does not know them, etc.**

 **~FFF**


	27. Tricked

**Ayyy I updated**

 **Review replies:**

 **LabRatFlutieKat: KRR's OCs. And I guess that answers my question.**

 **KRR: KAI SHUT UP YOU ARE A HOTHEAD YOU ARE SCREAMING AND SWEARING SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP. Honestly, I'm kind of a hothead in real life... just not on the internet because I always make myself calm down before flaming at people. Usually. ^ ^'**

 **Sweetfierce: I'm trying to figure out how to format it, sorry it isn't posted yet! ^ ^' Also, what did you mean by Jay and Nadakhan are "in yaoi"? That people ship them? That it's canon? That you ship them? Please explain.**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: I got the term from Miraculous Ladybug fanfictions I've read. One of the major characters, Marinette, has blue-black hair, and people often refer to her as a bluenette. xD**

 **The Pink Ninja: Ahahaha, poor Kai. xD He just can't catch a break. I answered about the Q and A thing in my reply to Sweetfierce, so...**

 **DraconisWinters: If you're reading this, I started reading your story on Wattpad, but I can't review on it because it won't let me log in to my normal account and I had to use my Facebook account, and I didn't want to post my real name in the comments. I'll start reviewing on it when I straighten it out. c:**

 **Is it just me, or am I losing readers? I haven't seen Leb in forever, or Windy, and Angel Star Ninja left...**

* * *

"It's a good thing Mom made us all overpack." Lloyd remarked, digging through his backpack for some food. "If this storm doesn't let up, it looks like we'll be spending the night here."

"Yep. At least we won't have to worry about Nadakhan, right?" Jay grinned.

"Yep." The blond boy nodded. "Let's eat something, then get some sleep. It's already getting dark, and we don't have anything else to do. I don't think we'll need a guard, it's storming so hard that no one could get through it."

"Especially not a ghost." Kai agreed. "Who's up for cold, canned spaghetti?" The eleven travelers were up for a couple more hours, playing card games, telling stories, or just talking. It turned out that Tylor, the boy they had met yesterday, was a literal genius. He was incredibly smart. He didn't talk a lot, though, and seemed annoyed a lot. Zaya was basically his opposite, talkative and goofy. She was pretty smart too, but not nearly as smart as Tylor (whom she called Ty, much to his annoyance). Both had a pair of katanas, and Tylor had a pair of guns while Zaya had a dozen knives. They had both named their elemental dragons, since they got lonely on the island with no one but each other to talk to (Lloyd had asked why they didn't just fly back, to which they replied that they didn't know which way to go). After sharing things about herself for a couple hours, Zaya wandered off to a corner of the temple and fell asleep. Tylor had turned in long ago, as he really wasn't much for talking. Slowly, the others dropped off to sleep, until only Lloyd was awake. Or so he thought. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he was startled awake by the sight of Indigo sitting up from where he thought she was sleeping and glancing around the room before standing up and walking towards the exit. Was she going to try to leave? It was still storming! He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she sat down by the exit instead, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared out at the storm. After a few moments, Lloyd stood up and walked over next to her, making sure his footsteps were loud enough so he didn't startle her.

"What's up?" the blond boy asked, sitting down next to her.  
"The sky." she shrugged. "I like storms. They're... untamable. Powerful. Plus they're just cool."

"Yeah, that's true." Lloyd smiled as lightning flashed outside. "I wonder if there's an elemental master of storms."  
"There's already water and lightning and... wind." she shook her head. "Probably not."

"Yeah." They were silent for a few moments before Indigo asked out of the blue,

"Lloyd, do you like anyone?"

"What?" he frowned, confused. "I like lots of people."

"No, I mean _like_ like someone." Oh.

"Um..." he felt his face heating up and quickly turned away.

"Yes. Okay. Is it Jessica?"

"A-ah, no!" he stuttered. "I-I mean, maybe."

"That means yes."

"No it doesn't!" he paused. "...you're friends with her, right?"

"I live with her. Of course I am."

"What does she think about me?" he asked timidly.

"You remember like the first thing she said to you?"

"Uh... no."

"It was: "Thanks for saving m- wow you're cute." Lloyd blushed harder. "And she kinda made me promise not to tell you, soooo..." she shrugged. "Use your imagination."

"Oh ghost." he whispered. Did she have a crush on him? What if he was wrong and she didn't? What was he supposed to do? Indigo shook her head.

"You are absolutely lovestruck." she remarked. "I'll leave you to your thoughts." She stood up and walked back into the temple, leaving him alone at the exit. Lloyd stared into the rain for a long time, trying to make sense of his romantic life, before he finally gave up and fell asleep.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Lloyd, wake up." Lloyd was shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder, and blinked his eyes open to see a familiar figure standing in front of him.

"Morro!" he exclaimed in shock, his face lighting up with a smile. "Y-you're free! How did you escape? Wait..." the blond boy frowned. "Are you really still evil and trying to trick me?"

"If I was, wouldn't I have just tried to kidnap you in your sleep?" Morro returned his smile, shaking his head. "It's me, trust me."

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Lloyd scrambled to his feet and hugged him tight, grinning as the ghost hugged him back. "I have to go wake the others up!" he tried to pull away, but Morro grabbed his wrist.

"There's no time. I need to show you something now."

"Oh. What is it?" Lloyd followed the ghost out of the temple, where it had fortunately stopped raining.

"Something that could give us an edge over the Overlord." Morro replied, leading Lloyd down the side of the mountain.

"How'd you escape?" the blond boy asked breathlessly, being careful not to slip on any loose rocks.

"The dark matter wore off."

"But... Kai was infected for way longer than you were." Lloyd frowned. "Why didn't his wear off?"

"I guess he was just hit with a larger dose." the ghost shrugged, leading him into a cave. "Come on. It's in here." Lloyd charged a ball of green energy in his hand, so he could see the tunnel ahead.

"Is it far?" the green ninja asked, squinting into the darkness.

"No, not really." A glimmer caught Lloyd's eye, and he looked closer to see a puddle of water on the ground. Right where Morro was about to step. He opened his mouth to warn him, but it was too late. Much to his surprise, though, the water did nothing. Morro ignored it.

"How did you...?" he asked in confusion. Morro turned around to look at him.

"What?"

"The water. Why didn't it hurt you?" Abruptly, the answer came to him and Lloyd's eyes widened in shock. "You're not Morro!"

"Very observant." Lloyd jumped at the unfamiliar voice, and scrambled backwards as Morro vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a four-armed man who floated above the ground.

"Y-you're..." the green ninja stuttered, trying to remember the djinn's name.

"Nadakhan, at your service." Nadakhan gave him an exaggerated bow.

"'At my service"'? You're not at my service, you work for the Overlord!" Lloyd turned and tried to run from the cave, but the djinn teleported in front of him, blocking the exit.

"Ah, but, if you make a wish, I have no choice but to grant it, correct?" Nadakhan smirked.

"You twist words. Sensei said you'll turn my wishes into something you want, not something I do." the blond boy backed away further into the cave.

"Not if you're specific enough, though, hmm? Come on, you know you want to." the djinn coaxed. Lloyd shook his head firmly.

"No. Let me out."

"Ah, Lloyd, I don't think you realize something." Abruptly, Nadakhan grabbed his arms with two of his own, and the room around him vanished. Instead, he found himself standing on the tip of Borg Tower, balanced precariously on the half-foot-wide spire. Lloyd gasped sharply, trying in vain to keep his balance. He failed and toppled forward, crying out in fear before a hand grabbed the back of his collar. "Quite a fall, isn't it?" Nadakhan remarked casually, holding him so he didn't fall, but he couldn't regain his balance either. "If you don't make a wish soon, I might just have to let you fall."

"You don't scare me." Lloyd shot back, fighting to keep the fear out of his voice. "I know Airjitzu, and I have an elemental dragon. I can save myself."

"Really? Well then." Another teleport. This time, Nadakhan held him above a pit of lava, which was mere feet below him. "Do you think you can save yourself before the lava sets you aflame?"

"A-ah!" Lloyd struggled, but he couldn't break the djinn's hold. Not that it would have done any good, unless he could summon his dragon fast enough. "O-okay, okay! I-I'll make a wish. Just bring me back to the cave."

"As you wish." there was triumph in the djinn's voice as he teleported them back to the cave, dropping him on the stone floor. "Now make your wish." Lloyd hesitated for a moment, trying to think of something he couldn't twist around. Finally, he said firmly,

"I wish..."

* * *

 **WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT DID HE WISH FOR?!**

 **no one knowwwwwwwsssssssssssss**

 **Nadakhan: hi i'm morro**  
 **Lloyd: okay seems legit imma go follow you to a random place even though there's absolutely no way this is actually u  
Nadakhan; yep  
**

 **WISH ME LUCK IN WINNING A COSTUME THING TONIGHT BYEEEEEEEEEEE**

 **~FFF**


	28. Ominous

**Logically, if I really want review replies to be shorter, I should just reply in PM to actual accounts... meh, maybe I'll start doing that.** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **Review replies:**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Thanks! If he fooled all of you, makes sense that he fooled Lloyd.**

 **KRR: Aw, I'm sorry, Kai. We all love you. *hugs***

 **WFOFA: BAD NADAKHAN**

 **Sweetfierce: Well, that person writes every character x every other character, so I'm not surprised... I'd suggest starting at the beginning of Season 5, just because that one's my favorite. Or at the beginning of Season 1 or 2. And yes, I'm sure Nadakhan would LOVE to feed some dragons. :D**

 **LabRatFlutieKat: Weeeeeell, that might not be EXACTLY what happens... heheh... And I don't think you have, but, if you do, please make them evil. I have too many good OCs and I don't know what to do with them all ;_;**

 **Nurse Medusa: Yessiry**

 **1234: Well, if you go back to Chapter 12, you'll see that the bad guys acquired the Teapot of Tyrahn right at the end. That's where he showed up. And he isn't helping the Overlord because he likes him. xD**

 **Beanzibo: Haha, yeah, I know how that feels. xD I hope you've enjoyed my stories so far! :D**

 **Samantha: A senior what? I think that's something to do with school, but I'm homeschooled so I'm not sure... ^ ^'**

 **The Pink Ninja: You were close. You missed an "h". xD Good like with Sammy!**

 **BTW everyone, thanks for all the luck. I won 1st place in the costume contest. :D**

 **And now, the question you've all been asking: DID LLOYD GET KIDNAPPED AGAIN?**

* * *

Chapter 28

I wish..." Lloyd hesitated. He wanted to word this exactly right. "I wish that I was back up in the temple - the Temple of Light -, and that you would stay here, and that you wouldn't twist my words at all." Nadakhan was silent for a few moments before scowling. That was a good sign.

"Your wish... is my command." With that, Lloyd found himself back in the Temple of Light, and was surprised to see everyone else awake and looking rather panicked. As soon as they saw him, though, their expressions changed to surprise and relief.

"Lloyd!" Someone hugged him from behind, and he looked over his shoulder to see Jessica hugging him around the waist, since she was too short to hug him normally. "You're okay! We woke up and you weren't here and we were all really worried... um, I mean..." she quickly pulled away, blushing. Lloyd blushed too.

"Yeah, what happened to you?" Kai asked, walking over. "And how'd you just appear out of nowhere like that?"

"Nadakhan tricked me into leaving. He forced me to make a wish."

"What?!" Jay demanded. "How did he force you to wish? More importantly, how did he trick you into leaving? I thought he wouldn't come in here unless you were alone!"

"He can shapeshift. He took Morro's form and lured me out by saying that he needed to show me something that could help beat the Overlord. But then he stepped in some water and it didn't affect him, so..." Lloyd shook his head. "I can't believe I fell for that."

"He must be a good actor." Kai mused. "You know Morro really well."

"Yeah, well, Morro probably taught him." the blond boy shook his head bitterly.  
"He's a jerk." Indigo muttered venomously. "Tricking you by pretending to be your friend. I mean, how low can you get?"

"Not much lower than that." Lloyd agreed.

"We still have a few hours of darkness left." Zane spoke up. "We should get some more sleep."

"We can try, at least. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep after what he did." the green ninja shook his head.

"Yeah, um, you never told us how he forced you to wish." Cole folded his arms. "Do you mean he actually forced you, or did he just persuade you with promises of glory?"

"He held me over a pit of lava and threatened to drop me in." Lloyd deadpanned. "The only way I managed to escape was wishing myself back here."

"Oh. Sorry." the ghost ninja apologized.

"It's okay." Lloyd stared at the floor.

"That's rough." Kai put a hand on his shoulder. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm a little shaken, but otherwise fine." the blond boy nodded. "I should probably try to sleep."

"Yeah. C'mon." Kai led him over to his bedroll, then pulled his own over next to it. As Lloyd lay down, Jay, Cole, and Zane pulled their bedrolls over too, so he was surrounded by the other ninja. He smiled as Kai ruffled his hair, resting his head on his arms. Before long, he was fast asleep again.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Lloyd? Wake up." Lloyd woke up to Kai kneeling next to him, shaking him gently. "You slept late."  
"Hmm... what time is it?" Lloyd sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. ES is a skrub k thx

"About 10:30. We all got up a while ago, but you didn't so we decided to let you sleep."

"Oh." the blond boy sat up slowly, stretching his arms above his head. "Are we leaving now?"

"Pretty soon. You should get ready."

"Okay." Lloyd glanced around the room as his eyes adjusted to the light. The others were packing their stuff, chatting, or, in Jessica's case, staring at him ominously. Wait, what? Had she been watching him sleep? That made him remember what she said a while ago, when they had just escaped Mt. Vetruvious after rescuing his father. "You look cute when you're asleep". How had he answered that? He probably said something dumb and embarrassed himself. He felt his face heating up at the thought.

"Psst, Lloyd. Are you in love?" the blond boy jumped at Jay's voice, and turned to see the blue ninja standing behind him with a grin on his face.

"Wh- no. Why would you even ask that?" Lloyd quickly shook his head.

"Because you're looking at a girl and blushing." Jay pointed at Jessica and Lloyd quickly pushed his hand down.

"Don't point at her!" the blond boy hissed.

"So you ARE in love with her." the redhead grinned wider.

"O-okay, I am. But don't _tell_ her." Lloyd pleaded. "I don't know if she likes me back."

"Then ask her!"

"That's too awkward! I'd be really embarrassed if it turns out she doesn't!"

"Then I'll ask her."

"Jay! No!" the blond boy grabbed his friend's arm as he tried to walk away. "C'mon, please! I need some time to think about it first." Lloyd stared at the blue ninja pleadingly until Jay sighed and nodded.

"Okay, fine. But I expect to see you taking some action soon." the redhead ruffled his hair before walking away towards the other ninja, and Lloyd sighed in relief. He really wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He would have to ask her about it sooner or later. Just... not right now. He needed some more time to think.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"They haven't come out..." Morro mused, watching the entrance of the Temple of Light through a pair of binoculars.

"Well, maybe they did and you missed them. Gimme those." Victoria Black tried to snatch the instrument away, but Morro lifted them out of her reach.

"There's at least eight of them. Do you think I would miss such a large party? Riding on glowing dragons, no less."  
"Well you could've." Victoria folded her arms. "Let me have a turn."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You don't need them."

"You don't need them any more than I do!"

"The Overlord says not to give them to you."

"No he doesn't!" she paused. "Does he?"

"Yes."

"Fine." Victoria was silent for a few moments before asking, "Why are you always such a grumpy ghostie?"

"Don't call me that." Morro muttered.  
"See? Grumpy!"

"Shut up."

"No you."

"Ugh!" Morro lowered the binoculars to glare at her. "Why are you so annoying?!"  
"It's a gift." the blond girl shrugged. The ghost rolled his eyes before lifting the binoculars to his eyes again.

"I see them.' he announced suddenly. Quickly, Victoria looked down at the temple to see a bunch of small figures walking out of the temple. "Come on. We need to prepare our ambush." Morro ordered, summoning his elemental dragon. Victoria did the same and they flew off towards the coast.

* * *

 **Morro may or may not have been lying about the Overlord telling him not to give Victoria the binoculars.**

 **~FFF**

 **P.S. There's actually another costume contest tonight and this time I'm dressing up as MORRO so wish me luck again! :DDDDDD**


	29. That went well

**You might be wondering why I posted this again.**

 **I HAVE MY REASONS**

 **Review replies:**

 **KRR: Sorry Kai...**

 **WKFA: Indeed.**

 **LRFK(LabRatFlutieKat): Your username is too long for me to type over and over again... xD Can I have a little more info on her appearance? Like, what color are her eyes? Her skin? What does she usually wear? Also, do you have a backstory for her? It would help me integrate her into the story easier. ^ ^**

 **Nurse Medusa: I hope they went well. And thanks! :D  
**

 **Nicktastic Productions: If you liked her last chapter, wait until you see her THIS chapter. xD Do you live in America? If not, then we're not in the same servers and won't be able to find each other. :P**

 **Ebony Umbreon: Haha, wow, I'm glad you enjoyed it! ^ ^ And yeah, I'm kinda swamped with OCs. ^ ^' Maybe in the triquel? Yeah, I know. I keep forgetting not to do that when I introduce OCs. Heh. I know, right? If he survived Lloyd's golden power, why couldn't he survive Zane's explosion? Seriously.**

 **The Pink Ninja: Lol, poor Lloyd. So confused. Tell him to read this. Though this chapter might scar him for life... eheheh...**

 **Sweetfiece: No problem. ;D Also R.I.P. Nadakhan's hair.**

 **Rosalinawysteria: I think I spelled your name right... xD That's fine. Rarely reviewing is better than not reviewing at all.**

 **Samantha: *Lloyd high-fives you***

 **And to everyone who wished me good luck at the costume thingy, thanks, but I didn't win. :P I guess it didn't help that none of the judges had watched Ninjago and therefore had no idea who I was supposed to be. xD I got ONE vote, which is more than my brother who was dressed up as Lloyd. :D**

* * *

Chapter 29

"I'm actually a little surprised that we haven't been attacked yet." Lloyd remarked as he flew towards the coast, followed by the rest of the group and their dragons. "This would be a perfect opportunity. We're far away from any backup, we're in the air, and more than half of us aren't ninja, and are therefore easier targets."

"Well, maybe they know they can't beat us." Jay shrugged on the dragon to his right. "Sure we don't have backup, but we _are_ the backup. We have them way outnumbered."

"If you don't include the footsoldiers." Zane reminded him. "Hypothetically, Morro could knock us out of the sky, and then the lesser ghosts could overrun us.

"But how would they get here? Come to think of it, only Morro can fly." Lloyd mused. "He's the only one who's actually able to get here quickly. And we _way_ outnumber him. In fact, I hope he attacks. I might be able to turn him back to normal."

"He probably won't, then. But maybe they're preparing to attack us back in ninjago." Kai suggested.

"Maybe. We should keep our guard up once we get back." Lloyd looked over his shoulder to call to the others behind him, in case they hadn't heard his warning, but the words never made it out of his mouth as he froze in shock. Behind them, over them, was a huge wave of darkness, arching through the sky. It covered the sun, blotting it out, and all the others looked up in shock as it continued forward, falling towards the sea in front of them. He heard the others exclaiming in shock and fear as they stopped, hovering in mid-air, but Lloyd could only stare as the wave fell silently towards the water. The it hit and they were surrounded in pitch blackness.

"Lloyd, what do we do?!" Kai yelled, his voice sounding panicked. The blond boy didn't answer. Their dragons glowed, so he could see the others, but this situation reminded him far too much of his first fight with the Overlord, when the creature of darkness had surrounded him in shadows and tried to swallow him whole. That was terrifying.  
"Lloyd!" Lloyd felt a hand grab his shoulder, and he whirled around to see Cole hovering behind him on his dragon. "Snap out of it! I know you're scared, but you're our leader! We need you!"

"R-right..." Lloyd shook his head, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them and counting everyone to make sure they were all there. They were. And then they weren't. Without warning, Jay vanished, his dragon surrounded by shadows. In the seconds that followed, Lloyd heard the blue ninja scream. "Everyone! Come to me!" the blond boy yelled once his shock wore off. "We need to stay together!" Quickly, all of the others flew towards him, but, before he could make it, Tylor was snatched away by the darkness as well.

"Lloyd, what's going on?!" Jessica asked, panicked.

"I don't know." Lloyd fought to keep his voice as steady as possible. "Stay close. You and Indigo are going to be targets."

"O-okay." the brunette nodded shakily. Cole, who was on the edge of the pack, vanished into the darkness.

"Lloyd, this isn't working!" Kai yelled, edging closer. "Whatever-it-is is taking us anyway!"

"I-I know, but I don't know what to do!" the green ninja yelled back.

"Use your powers!" Zane urged. Oh, of course! Lifting his hand above his head, Lloyd charged a ball of golden energy, letting the brilliant light surround the flock of dragons. The approaching shadows retreated as the light pushed them back, and Lloyd focused on where the others had vanished. They were gone. But maybe he could break out of the bubble they were trapped in. Looking up, the blond boy focused a beam of energy on the top of the bubble, and he could see it eating away at the barrier like acid. Just a few more seconds and they would be free. Then, without warning, a midnight-black dragon shot out of the shadows, knocking him off his own dragon and sending him falling towards the ocean below. Lloyd screamed, desperately trying to summon his dragon again as he plummeted towards the water. As he neared the pitch-black waves, starting to realize that he couldn't save himself, a hand grabbed his wrist, instantly stopping his fall barely ten feet above the water. Gasping with relief, the green ninja looked up to see who had rescued him. Much to his shock, it was the rider of the black dragon. To his even greater shock, he recognized her.

"T-Tori?!" he stuttered in shock.

"Wow. Little Lloydy." Victoria – or, Tori, as he called her – giggled, lifting him up so she could see him more easily. "Sure moved up in the world, haven't you? The golden ninja."

"W-why are you working for the Overlord?" he asked in surprise. "What happened to you?" He had met Tori years before, when her family offered him a place to stay after he was kicked out of Darkley's. He had made friends with her during the few days he had stayed there, and had missed her for about a week after leaving. He had forgotten about her after the ninja had taken him in, though, and had barely thought about her since.

"You inspired me, Lloyd. You showed me that I could choose my own path, even at such a young age. So I chose an evil one." she smirked. "It's worked out quite well for me. I've made a fortune on the black market. Too bad you became a goody-two-shows."

"I'm not a-" he tried to protest, but she put a finger to his lips, cutting him off.

"So, I'm kinda supposed to either kill you or bring you back to the Overlord but, we're still friends, right?"

"Y-yeah, of course!" he nodded quickly.

"Good." Still holding him by the wrist, Tori started flying back towards the island, letting him dangle beside her dragon. "I'm just going to drop you off on the island. I'm sure you'll be fine, even without your friends."  
"Wait, what do you mean "without them"?" Lloyd demanded. "What are you going to do?!"

"Boss's orders, round up the ninja and their friends and bring them back." the blond girl shrugged uncaringly.

"Tori, please don't! They're my best friends!" the green ninja begged.

"Better friends than me?!" her grip on his wrist tightened to the point of hurting before loosening as she started to let go of him.

"O-of course not!" he hastened to say. "You're my best friend too!"  
"Then why should I save them?"

"B-because, um... I have a crush on one of them?"

"You have a girlfriend? Aww, that's cute." Tori giggled again. "Why can't I be your girlfriend?"

"U-um..."

"Don't you love me, Lloyd?"

"...no?"

"Wrong answer!" With that, his old friend let go of him, and the last thing he heard was her giggling again before he hit something hard and everything went black.

* * *

 **Commence Tori hitting on him creepily for the rest of the story.**

 **Maybe.**

 **YOU'LL NEVER KNOW**

 **Also I forgot to add this last night, but my BFF Oceangirl246 has been writing an awesome story for months, and it doesn't get nearly as many notes as it deserves. Go on over there and give her a bunch of reviews.**

 **~FFF**

 **P.S. It might not surprise you, but I have another costume contest this week (next week's the last one lol). This time the one with the most patriotic outfit will win. Wish me luck!**


	30. and now we're all dead

**Chapter thirtyyyyyyyyyyyy**

 **Review replies:**

 **KRR: PLATONIC CUDDLING IS MY** **AESTHETIC ADAHSGHASG THAT WAS REALLY CUTE**

 **Nicktastic Productions: You're evil. However, I was laughing when I wrote that too, soooo...**

 **Sweetfierce: How about Nya? She's got water powers and can sweep all the blood away.**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: "Setback"? Okay. That's a word for it.**

 **ebony umbreon: He just can't win.**

 **LRFK: Haha, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the info, I'll put her in as soon as possible.**

 **Starry: It's perfectly fine. ^ ^ My life's going pretty well. I'm updating as fast as I can!  
**

 **And about the contest, I won 3rd place, which is just as good as 1st because I won the same size giant chocolate bar! :D**

 **This chapter's fairly short, but, hey, at least it's an update, right?**

* * *

Chapter 30

"Lloyd!"

"I know he fell somewhere around here…"

"Keep looking! He's gotta be here somewhere!" Lloyd awoke to frantic voices nearby, calling his name repeatedly. Groaning softly, he tried to sit up, but he was instantly hit with a massive headache and slumped back down, clutching his head with both hands.

"Lloyd!" That was Jay's voice. But, wait, hadn't Jay vanished? Had he escaped? He needed them to find him.

"…J-Jay…" he croaked, his voice scratchy and weak. He coughed, trying to clear his throat, and heard a gasp.

"I heard something! Over here!" Kai's voice. A moment later, he heard approaching footsteps and a hand rested on his shoulder. "I found him!" he heard the red ninja yell. More footsteps, and he could hear indistinct talking in the background.

"Lloyd, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Zane asked.

"…mm-hmm…" Lloyd managed a tiny nod. "…m-my head h-hurts a-a l-lot…" He felt a hand pressing on different places on his head and winced.

"Well, you're not bleeding, at least." Jay said at last. "You might have a concussion, though."

"Mmph." Was Lloyd's only reply.

"We need to get him back to the monastery." Zane instructed. "Lloyd, are you in a lot of pain?"

"Mm-hmm…"

"Dang. Sure would be handy to have Andreea around right now." Jay chuckled uneasily, referring to the Pink Ninja who had accidently been sent to their Realm a while back.

"...c-can you knock me out?" the blond boy whispered. "I-Indigo can d-drain my energy... c-can't she?" Silence. No one answered. "...guys?" he tried to open his eyes, but the light was too bright and forced him to shut them again.

"Indigo and Jessica..." Kai hesitated. "...they were captured."

"W-what?!" Lloyd stuttered in shock. "H-how?!"

"Morro snatched us away with his wind powers whenever his friend seperated us from the rest of the group, and knocked us down onto the island. We managed to overpower him as a team, but he escaped and we saw him and the other girl flying away with Indigo and Jessica." Kai explained. "That's when Jay told us he saw that girl drop you around here."

"O-oh... d-did they get a-anyone else?"

"Zaya's missing too. We don't know if they captured her, or if she's just lost."

"Oh..." Lloyd curled into a ball, clutching his aching head. Jessica was captured. She was gone. What if they hurt her? What if they killed her?! This was all his fault. It was his job to protect her. Why did he have to be leader? He hated being leader. All he ever did was make a mess of things. Abruptly, he noticed the others saying his name frantically.

"Lloyd, are you okay? Are you awake? Lloyd!" Kai was saying.

"...'mm fine..." the blond boy mumbled. "...let's just get home..."

"Okay." He felt Kai's arms slip underneath him and lift him up, leaning him against the fire ninja's chest. He was a lot more comfortable than the rocky ground. Had he hit the stone beach from 30 feet up? How was he not dead? He _felt_ dead. Actually, if he were dead, he wouldn't be in so much pain. He felt Kai climb onto his dragon, then they took off. The fire ninja lowered him onto the saddle in front of him, leaning back against him so he could steer his dragon around him. He wasn't sure if it was from the pain or just exhaustion, but it only took him a few minutes to fall fast asleep.

* * *

 **I am enjoying this far too much.**

 **idk if anyone saw this last chapter, but everyone needs to go and read my friend Oceangirl246's story because it is A+ and deserves way more reviews than it gets.**

 **~FFF**


	31. Trapped

**hey guess what today is everyone**

 **IT'S NATIONAL FANFICTION WRITERS APPRECIATION DAY**

 **So, according to tumblr, on this day you're supposed to go to fanfictions you've enjoyed, and leave a nice review or comment. Even if you already have. SO GO LEAVE REVIEWS**

 **Meh... I would have had this chapter out 2 days ago, but I kept getting kicked off the computer... -.-**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK: Wow. You meanie. xD I don't really hate any of the characters, except Overlord, and that's because he's the embodiment of evil. So... idk.**

 **Nicktastic Productions: Same, my dude. I find all the suffering my characters endure to be quite hysterical.**

 **ebony umbreon: Yeah, sort of. He's got the golden power, he can't just DIE. By the way, is there any specific reason your username isn't capitalized?**

 **KRR: Hey, no one said she was ACTUALLY CAPTURED. They just don't know where she is. also TEH FLUFF~ I know you do. You've mentioned it a few times before. I'm not angry.**

 **Samantha: OMG I GOT YOU TO SHOW EMOTION :OOOOOOOOOOOO**

 **Angel Star Ninja: Yep, I know. But that's not actually s7, that's just a special. I have no idea when the actual season's coming out. -.-**

* * *

Chapter 31

Indigo lay back against the wall of the cell she was locked in, fiddling absent-mindedly with the black cuff on her wrist. If only she could get it off. It was the only thing keeping her trapped here. After Lloyd had been knocked off his dragon, she had panicked and fled. Much to her surprise, she went right through the shadow barrier and out into the sky outside. She had seen Morro blowing the ninja off their dragons and onto the island, and had debated going to help, but they had fought him off themselves. Unfortunately, he had gone straight towards her, and she had no time to escape before he snatched her right off her dragon. Jessica had fallen, but the other girl had caught her. Morro had chained her with Vengestone, which somehow didn't affect him, before forcing her to sit behind him on his dragon as he flew back to Chen's island. He hadn't spoken much, but she could practically _feel_ the hate radiating off him. It was terrifying. Once they had arrived at Chen's Island, Morro and the other girl (Victoria, he'd called her) had dropped them off before going back to attack again. Nadakhan had locked them both in the dungeon beneath one of the temples, then left them alone. What were they going to do to them? Why hadn't they turned them evil immediately? Were they going to try to Lloyd in again? Probably. She had thought that she would be able to just phase out of the cell as soon as the djinn had left, but she had forgotten about the deepstone and vengestone cuff on her wrist. As soon as she had tried to get out, it had caught on the wall and stopped her in her tracks. So much for that. Although... now that she thought about it, maybe she could maneuver the cuff through the barred window in the door. Standing up, the ghost girl stepped through the wooden door and held up her arm. The cuff slipped right throught the bars without a sound.

"Ha!" she exclaimed out loud.

"What? What happened?" Jessica's face appeared in the window of her cell, and her eyes opened wide in shock at the sight of Indigo standing in the hallway. "Wh- how'd you get out?!"

"I phased through the door and moved the cuff in-between the bars." the void master replied with a grin. "I need to get you out. Do you know where the keys are?"

"I think the djinn has them. Indigo, there's no point. You'll never make it out of here without running into one of them."  
"I can try!" Indigo argued.

"And, even if you could, how would you get off the island? We're surrounded with water, and that cuff is blocking your powers so you won't be able to make your dragon."

"I could jump in the ocean." the ghost insisted, but her resolve was failing. She wanted to avoid dying if she could help it.

"It's not worth it. Besides, then you'd leave me all alone here." Jessica shook her head. "Just... come into my cell with me. Then neither of us will be alone."

"Fine." Indigo phased through the door, sliding her cuff through the bars again so she was "trapped" inside. "Do you think they're gonna rescue us?"

"I don't know. Are you scared?"

"Kinda."

"Me too." Jessica sighed. "I hope Lloyd's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine. He has the golden power."

"True. But he's not invincible."

"I know." Indigo shook her head. "I really hope this will be over soon…"

"Yeah…" the brunette sighed again, sitting down against the wall. "What if we die here? I mean, what if I die here? You're already dead so…"

"…yeah."

"What if they kill us, though? You'll go back to the Cursed Realm, but I'll just… be dead. I'll never get to tell Lloyd I love him…" she paused. "That sounds like a line from a cheesy romance novel."

"I can't read, so, I wouldn't know." Indigo shrugged. Jessica looked up at her in surprise.

"Wait, you can't? Really?"

"Like I said before, I grew up on the streets. Cora never really had much time to teach me basic schooling."

"Cora?"

"You want me to just tell you my whole life story?"

"Sure, why not. It's not like we have anything else to do."

"Alright." Indigo sat down against the wall next to her, thinking for a moment before beginning her tale. "Well, my house burned down when I was four…"

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Uh oh." Kai looked up from the ocean below him at Jay's voice, glancing back at the blue ninja questioningly.

"What's up?" he called back.

"Look." The readhead pointed in front of them, and the fire master turned to see two dragons flying towards them, one dark green and the other pitch black. Oh great.

"Guys, stay close to me." Kai called, taking charge. "We need to defend Lloyd. He's our only chance of winning this thing." The others obeyed, maneuvering their dragons so Kai was in the middle of the pack. Within a few moments, the two enemies had gotten within fifty feet of them, and the ninja stopped so they wouldn't run right into each other. The enemies stopped as well, hovering about 20 feet in front of the pack.

"Well," the girl on the black dragon called out. "Looks like we are at a standoff." Abruptly, she grinned and cracked up. "Just kidding! Morro and I could kick your butts if we wanted. I've just always wanted to say that."

"Back off," Kai yelled, ignoring her threats. "Or you'll regret it."

"You sillies. I know you don't have any elemental powers. The only reason we haven't attacked us because we don't want to hurt Lloyd!" Wait, what? Morro said something to her that they couldn't hear, and she rolled her eyes, sighing loudly before correcting herself. "Alright, fine, because _I_ don't want to hurt Lloyd. Morro here hates his stinkin' guts So, anyway, since we _clearly_ can't beat all you strong and powerful ninjas, we'll just be going. See ya later crocodiles!" With that, the girl flew on past them, Morro following her after a couple of moments.

"…okay then." Jay said at last. "Let's go, I guess." Nodding, Kai snapped his drargon's reins and shot forward again, determined to get Lloyd back to safety before he was hurt again.

* * *

 **Well, they're not dead!  
*yet**

 **I actually have another chapter completely written out, so I might post again today... idk. Have fun with fanfiction writer's appreciation day!**

 **~FFF**


	32. Safety

**Well look at that I actually managed to post again today**

 **no review replies becAUSE ALLY IS KICKING ME OFF IN LIKE 2 AND A HALF MINUTES AND UGH**

* * *

Chapter 32

"…bloody, and he's scratched up, but I do not think any bones were broken." Lloyd felt his eye be pried open, but jerked away at the bright light, squeezing it shut again. "Lloyd, I need you to open your eyes. I need to look at them." The same voice said.  
"Lloyd?" Kai's voice came from a couple inches above him. "Are you awake?"

"…mm-hmm…" he hummed. "…'s too bright…"

"Bring him back to his room." That voice again. That was Uncle. "But don't leave him alone there. In his weakened state, he would be easy prey for Nadakhan."

"Got it," Kai replied, then Lloyd felt the fire ninja start walking again. After a few moments, he felt Kai lay him down on his bed with his head resting on the pillow. Kai was warmer than his bed. Groaning softly, the blond boy rolled over on his side, hugging his arms to his chest. "Hey, don't move." The red ninja cautioned. "You're pretty badly hurt. Take it easy."

"…'mm cold…"  
"Sorry. Sensei's going to be here in a minute to look at you. Can you open your eyes?" After a moment, Lloyd opened his eyes a crack. Satisfied that it was dark enough that he wouldn't hurt his eyes, he blinked them open the rest of the way, looking up at Kai, who was standing next to his bed. The room was mostly dark, as the only light came from the moonlight coming through the windows. "I'm glad you're awake." The fire master said softly. "I was really worried when we found you, all beat up, on the island."

"…I'm glad too…" Lloyd murmured, smiling faintly. After a moment, his smile faded, and he spoke again. "…K-Kai…"

"Yeah?"

"…w-why do I h-have to be leader?"

"What do you mean? You're a great leader, and everyone knows it."

"B-but… I c-convinced everyone to g-give up th-their powers f-for me, a-and I couldn't e-even use it w-well! I b-barely used it at all b-before I almost got k-killed, a-and none of you could f-fight back without your powers!"  
"But we could. And we did. We overpowered Morro and chased him off. Even without our powers, we can still fight. And, once you heal, you can fight with us."

"…b-but… I don't wanna b-be leader a-anymore…"

"Why not?"

"…y-you're all relying on me… a-and I always g-get scared or s-startled and m-mess e-everything up…"

"No you don't. You're a great leader. You almost never mess up." Kai assured him. "Sure, you get scared sometimes. We all do. But that never stops you from directing us in battle. You're the bravest person I know." Lloyd felt like crying.

"…b-but I just t-told you th-that I k-keep g-getting scared! H-how c-can you say I'm b-brave?!"

"Brave doesn't mean that you don't get scared. Brave means that, no matter how scared you get, you keep fighting."

"B-but I d-don't!"

"Yes you do. You always do." Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold back tears. It didn't work. As tears began to trickle down his cheeks, he felt Kai mussing his hair gently. "You can take a break from being leader, if you like." The fire ninja murmured. "I think you deserve a rest."

"…th-thanks, Kai…"

"Lloyd?" the blond boy startled at the sound of his father's voice, and he opened his eyes to see his father and uncle walking towards his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"…pre'y bad…" the blond boy mumbled, closing his eyes again. "…I-I just wanna sleep…"

"My brother needs to make sure you're alright. You can sleep in a couple of minutes, okay?"

"M'kay…" Lloyd nodded alightly, and he heard shuffling before he felt his uncle's gently hands on his head.

"Tell me if this hurts." Sensei's voice instructed as he pressed lightly on different areas of his head. After a moment, a wave of pain went through him and he winced.

"Ow…" he mumbled, and the pressure stopped.

"Sorry. Please open your eyes." Lloyd opened his eyes to see his uncle kneeling next to his bed, studying his eyes as he struggled to get them to focus. "Lloyd, focus on me." With some effort, he obeyed. "Alright, I don't believe you have a concussion." His uncle said at last. "Can you move your arms and legs?" Lloyd shifted, bending his joints to make sure none of them were broken.

"I-I'm sore, but y-yeah."

"Good. You're scratched and bruised fairly badly, but you're not otherwise injured. Kai tells me that he found you under a tree, you must have fallen through it before hitting the ground." So that's how he survived.

"Okay…" he murmured. "…c-can I sleep now?"

"Go ahead. Kai will stay here with you so Nadakhan doesn't attack."

"But, um, does it count as two people if one of them's asleep?" Kai spoke up.

"Hmm. True. I will stay here as well." Dad said firmly. "It probably does, but we cannot take any chances with Lloyd."

"Definitely not." Uncle agreed. "Alright. I will rejoin the others." Lloyd heard footsteps, then the door to his room closed. After a moment, a blanket was draped over him, and he smiled as he snuggled into it.

"Sweet dreams, Lloyd." Kai mussed his hair again, and the blond boy swatted his hand away, groaning softly.

"Tha's not helping. Leave m' hair alone." Lloyd ordered sleepily. Kai and Dad chuckled, and he smiled with them as his thoughts began to cloud from exhaustion. As it was completely silent in the room, it only took him a few moments to fall fast asleep.

* * *

 **did I already mention I love writing fluff or**

 **~FFF**


	33. Threats

**So I thought I was going to be able to post last wednesday but I got grounded**

 **and then I thought I was going to be able to post this wednesday but I got distracted**

 **oh well sorry lol**

 **Review replies:**

 **LabRatFluiteKat: I will never understand you. smh you and your lloyd hate lol**

 **Samantha: About not making cliffhangers? Haha, I'll try.**

 **The Pink Ninja: You remind me of my younger sister. She has 30 OCs and counting in a single fandom. xD I doubt you have that many OCs tho.**

 **KRR: GJ KRR YOU KILLED ME WITH THE FLUFF however death by cuteness is easily cured and I managed to cure myself before having to do any typing ㈇6㈇6㈇6㈇6㈇6㈇6㈇6㈇6**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Yep, since she's finally done being oblivious. xD**

 **Also you guys are not going to like me in the next ten chapters or so (not including this one). Just a warning. Except LabRatFlutieKat. She will laugh. But the rest of you will be very very angry. I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize in advance and ask you to please not hire an assassin to murder me in my sleep.**

* * *

Chapter 33

"Drink this." Lloyd stared into the cup handed to him by his uncle, sniffing it before wrinkling up his nose.

"It smells weird. What is this?" the blond boy asked, looking up at his sensei.

"Healing tea. It will speed your recovery, and help you get back in the fight sooner."

"What if I don't want to get back into the fight?"

"It's not a matter of what you want, Lloyd. We need you. You have the Golden Power, and Nya is the only one left of the ninja with her elemental power. Without you, we stand no chance."

"Yeah…" Lloyd mumbled, staring into his cup. "I know…"

"Don't forget, Jessica and Indigo are still the Overlord's prisoners. Without your help, we can make no attempt to rescue them." That's right. Jessica needed him. Nodding, Lloyd lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip. It tasted bad, but it was pleasantly warm, the warmth spreading throughout his body. As he lowered the cup from his mouth, he realized that his body didn't hurt so much.

"IS this magic?" the blond boy asked.

"Yes it is. I have quite a large supply of magical tea I have collected over the last year or so."

"Like the tomorrow's tea that Gin managed to spill all over herself?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Er… yes, including that. What? It wasn't my fault."

"It kinda was, for bringing it here in the first place." The green ninja shrugged. "Whatever. What's done is done." As he took another sip of his tea, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Come in!" he called. The door opened, and Tara and Ming entered the room.

"Lloyd?" Tara addressed him as she approached. "Ming found this." The black-haired assassin held up a green, glowing crystal, which fit snugly in the palm of her hand.

"…okay." Lloyd nodded slowly. "What about it?"

"Remember back when you were travelling to the Cursed Realm and I was trying to steal your powers?"

"Yeah."

"Did I ever tell you why?"

"You said someone hired you, but he didn't give you his name."

"Did I tell you what he said he would pay me with?"

"I don't think so. What?"

"This." Tara held up the crystal. "It's called the Changeling stone. It can change the form and voice of whoever wields it." To demonstrate, Tara's body glowed, then her features and body changed until she was a perfect copy of Ming. "She found it in Kai's cell." Tara, whose voice was Ming's now, said. "We think he used it to trick us into thinking he was normal."

"Oh, of course!" Lloyd nodded quickly. "That makes way more sense. And now we've got it and they don't. But, wait…" the blond boy paused. "If your employer had the Changeling Stone, and then the Overlord did, was the Overlord the one who hired you?"

"I don't know." Tara frowned, changing back to her normal form. "What does the Overlord sound like?"

"His voice is really deep, and rough, and raspy, and, like, evil-sounding."

"That sounds like my employer. I thought he sounded like he was having an asthma attack."

"He's been back that long? Really?" Lloyd frowned. "And he really didn't make his move until a couple weeks ago."

"I guess. He's learning." The former assassin shook her head. "Not throwing himself at you immediately. Watching. Waiting. Planning."

"Yeah, I noticed." Lloyd muttered. A moment later, his phone rang, and he picked it up to see who it was. "Oh great, it's Chen." He sighed before answering and putting his phone on speakerphone. "Hello?"

"Hello? Anyone there?" Chen's voice.

"Yeah. What do you want?"

"Good." Lloyd jumped at the Overlord's voice, almost dropping his phone in shock. "I'm sure you've noticed by now that you're missing two of your friends?"

"…y-yeah. I know you have them. What do you want?"

"I want you, _Golden Ninja._ I know you have the golden power. I took it once, and I can take it again." The blond boy shuddered at the memory of his power being drained out of him.

"What are your terms?"

"You have six hours to get to Chen's Island/ You will wait in the courtyard between the temples for half an hour while we ensure you're alone. Then we'll bring you inside and let them go."

"I'm badly injured. I'm barely able to walk, much less fly all the way to you island by yourself." In the background, he heard Tori squeak.  
"You're _hurt_? Sorry Lloydy!"

"Fine. You have forty-eight hours. But if you don't show up…" he trailed off.

"...you'll infect them?" Lloyd asked, somewhat nervously. The Overlord chuckled.  
"The ghost, maybe, but I know you can change them back. No, I plan to kill them."

" _What_?!" the blond boy yelped. "N-no, you can't!"

"Then you have no choice but to surrender to me."

"H-how do I even know you'll let them go?!" Lloyd demanded. "For all I know, you'll kill them anyway!"

"Why would I? I have nothing to gain from her death. Except to hurt you." Lloyd could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "No, I don't plan to hurt her. Unless you don't comply."

"I… I-I can't promise I'll be healed in two days."

"Then I can't promise your girlfriend will survive the week." The blond boy could feel a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head.

"I-I need to think about it."

"You have 30 seconds." Lloyd looked at Sensei desperately. After a moment, his uncle mouthed,

"Accept." Nervously, the green ninja nodded.

"A-alright, I accept. I'll be there in two days."

"Good." With that, the Overlord hung up. Lloyd stared at his bed, dropping his phone onto the mattress. What did Sensei mean " _accept_ "?! He was supposed to go there?! Get his power drained before being turned into a slave?!

"Lloyd, calm down." Wu put a hand on his shoulder. "We are not sending you there. We have the Changeling Stone, remember? We will send someone else, with your form, then mount an attack on the island while they are distracting them."

"O-oh..." the blond boy let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes as his uncle rubbed his shoulder gently.

"We'll go and tell the others." he heard Tara sat, and a moment later he heard his room door close.

"Lloyd?" Uncle said.

"Yeah?"

"Drink your tea."

"Okay." Lloyd nodded, opening his eyes and picking up his cup again. As there was nothing left to say, the room was quickly overtaken with silence.

* * *

 **DRINK THE TEA LLOYD**

 **DRIIIIIIIIINNNKKKKKK IIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT**

 **something tells me I was gonna say something here but I forgot oh well**

 **~FFF**


	34. rekt

**wat's with all these short chapters**

 **smh me**

 **review replies:**

 **Nicktastic Productions: YOU AND LRFK BETTER HELP ME WARD OFF THE OTHER READERS WHEN THEY TRY TO MURDER ME**

 **Nurse Medusa: TWINS**

 **LRFK: see review reply for nicktastic productions**

 **Ebony Umbreon: Wait, wait, sentient golf ball? Is this the Overlord? xD Thanks for the baseball bat.**

 **Samantha: No... but I might have to start doing that again since I never got around to making that dare show... lol...**

 **The Pink Ninja: Wow. Okay. Ouch. How on earth do you keep track of all of them? xD Relax, Sunny. Lloyd will be fine... um... wait, that's a lie. Nevermind.**

 **Sweetfierce: Wait, wait, salad? Changing colors? Tom? I think I'm missing something.**

 **MopHead: xD I would definitely suggest starting from the beginning. I hope you read Return to the Cursed Realm first. And Forgotten. Anyway. I don't have a dare show yet, I'm still working on that, and when/if I do (I certainly hope I'll get around to doing it someday), you can find it by going to my profile and looking at my stories. (also you called me an amazing author thank you so much)**

 **Im just gonna do questions at the end of this bc I said I would make the dare show and I never got around to it :P**

* * *

"Let me go in your place."

"Wh- why?" Lloyd frowned at the ghost bladeswoman in front of him, who was staring back at him calmly.

"I don't want any of you to be in danger. All of you, you're a team. I'm expendable."

"But... how do I know you won't just give us away? How do I know you won't betray us?"

"Morro trusted me!"

"But how do I know you're telling the truth about that?" Bansha sighed.

"Close your eyes."

"What? Why?"

"I'm a telepath, remember? I'm going to let you see my memories."

"Oh. Okay." Lloyd closed his eyes, and, after a few moments, an image appeared in front of his eyes.

" _You could come back to the Monastery with me." Morro suggested quietly. "Join our side."_

 _"No." Bansha said stubbornly. "They all hate me."_

 _"They all hated me when Lloyd first brought me there. They'll warm up to you."_

 _"Stop trying to change my mind!" she hissed, her slightly-raised voice attracting Wrayth's attention. "I'm not going to let you go!" she said, lowering her voice back down to a whisper. Morro sighed and looked down at the ground._

 _"You're scared, aren't you?"_

 _"Wouldn't you be?"_

 _"I am." Morro looked up at her again. "They're going to infect me too, aren't they?" Bansha turned away, avoiding his gaze. "Aren't they?"_

 _"Yes." She answered at last._

 _"Then you know how important it is for me to escape! They're only keeping my like this to get Lloyd here, right? Once they have him, I'm only good to them as a weapon. They'll turn Lloyd and I evil. Or kill him."_

The memory changed, the image changing to a dark alley in the middle of the night.

"Bansha, run." Morro ordered.

 _"No!" the female ghost argued instantly._

 _"I can't get away, but you can! And if you don't, he'll turn you into his mindless slave!"_

 _"Where would I go?!"_

 _"Go to the monastery! Tell them the Overlord's plans! You can still rescue me!"_

 _"I told you already, they hate me! I'm not going there!"_

 _"Then at least go away! You'll gain nothing by staying here. You can't help me if you're infected."_

 _"You know I'm still standing here, right?" Wrayth asked dully. Morro ignored him._

 _"Run."_

 _"No!" Bansha held up her sword in a defensive stance, trying to defend them if Wrayth attacked._

 _"Please!" Morro pleaded, grabbing her arm. "You can't win! Just go." Bansha hesitated, then let her sword fall to her side. Without another word, she turned and ran through the building's wall. She heard Morro cry out in pain, but ignored him and kept running. She was no good to him infected, she kept saying to herself. There was no point in going back._

The image faded and Lloyd opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times as his eyes readjusted to the light. Bansha was facing away from him, her hand braced against the back wall of her cell. Was it possible that she had faked that? He didn't think so. She really did seem to care about Morro, and him about her. If he trusted her, Lloyd should too.

"Alright, I believe you." He said at last. "You really wanna take my place?"

"Yes."  
"Okay… I trust you." Lloyd stepped forward and unlocked the cell's door, sliding it open. "Come on." Slowly, the ghost woman stepped out towards him, stopping next to him as she grabbed one of the bars for support. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Just tired. Telepathy takes just as much, if not more, energy as your powers do." She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Here." He offered her his arm and she took it, leaning on him as he led her up the stairs. "The others are going to be really suspicious of you." He warned her.

"I know." The bladeswoman nodded listlessly. "I don't care."

"Okay." Lloyd opened the door at the top of the basement stairs, mentally preparing himself for an argument. He knew the others wouldn't let her go without proof that she was on their side. Unfortunately, he didn't have any. He could only pray that they trusted him enough to let her go.

* * *

 **so bansha had another frond now**

 **that's nice**

 **Me: So... I lost a bunch of the questions I had a while back.  
Morro: I remember something about a teapot.  
Me: Yeah. You were supposed to dance around singing "I'm a little teapot" in a Hello Kitty costume.  
Morro: WHAT?!  
Me: You do that while I look for the questions.  
Morro: NO  
Me: YES  
Morro: NO  
Me: ...I'll be right back.  
*20 seconds later*  
Me: Found 'em!  
Lloyd: nooooooooo  
Me: Quiet, you. This is gonna be too long of an A/N already without you griping about it.  
Lloyd: *crying*  
Me: SHUT UP OR SUNNY IS GONNA KILL ME  
Jessica: I'M ALREADY GONNA KILL YOU  
Me: AHHH GO AWAY  
Diamond: So... Jessica chased off FFF...  
Kai: We're saved!  
Diamond: ...so it looks like I'm doing questions.  
Kai: NO  
Diamond: First on the list is a question for Zane- well, there's like a million from The Pink Ninja, so I'm just gonna copy them all here. "Zane: Spike your hair like Kai(yes you have to, even though your hair is made of metal Kai: First, turn back into the nice Kai, then dye your hair hot pink! Lloyd: Burn a mountain of candy! Cole: Go the rest of the day without eating cake! Jay: Zap everyone with lightning! Nya: Fave your greatest fear!(Perfect match machines)(I made that up :)) Morro: Dance around in a Hello Kitty costume while singing I'm A Little Tea Pot Sensei Wu: Also sing I'm a Little Tea Pot Jessica: *shrugs* I got nothing. Ghoultar: Talk Normally again! That was funny! Overlord: I just wanna kill you right now. DIE OVERLORD! *attacks you* DIE OVERLORD! I HATE YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOUVE EVER DONE!"  
Kai: NOT AGAIN WHY ME  
Morro: WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING I HAVE TO DRESS UP AS A CAT AND SING A NURSERY RHYME  
Ghoultar: I say-  
Overlord: STOP KILLING ME JUST KILL LLOYD  
LRFK: I CAN ARRANGE THAT  
Lloyd: AAAAAAGH LEAVE ME ALONE  
Kai: LEAVE LLOYD ALONE  
Wu: I'm a little teapot~  
Morro: SENSEI NO  
Zane: This hairstyle is... interesting...  
Nya: Jay do me a favor and kill this machine  
Jay: SURE  
Cole: jAY QUIT ZAPPING ME  
Jay: NEVER HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA  
Diamond: Morro get dancing  
Morro: NO  
Diamond: DO IT  
Morro: N O  
Me: hi im back and my little sister is kicking me off so cya**

 **~FFF**


	35. Revelations

**I'm not saying you're going to hate me after this chapter but...**

 **...you're going to hate me after this chapter**

 **Actually I predict you will have very mixed feelings, except for LRFK, who will be laughing hysterically.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **LRFK:** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 **Ebony Umbreon: Hahahaha ok. Thanks. Glad to see someone's not going to murder me. xD Zane was my favorite before Season 4 too. I like the old Zane better. :( Now Lloyd's my favorite. Well, my favorite ninja. Morro's my favorite overall character. (("I have decided against your death" made me laugh so hard when I first saw it BTW))**

 **The Pink Ninja: "Shadow the Shadow Monster". Your names are so original. *thumbs up***

 **Nurse Medusa: Lol yep you are twins**

 **Nicktastic Productions: Thanks pal. Also, sorry I haven't gotten a chance to play LoL with you yet... I forgot my username... haha... I remember it now, but I forgot it for a while and then I was busy working on tHIS SUPER CRAZY LONG CHAPTER**

 **Sweetfierce: Makes sense.**

 **SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS LATE BUT IT'S REALLY SUPER LONG AND IT TOOK FOREVER TO TYPE IN OK BYE I'M GOING TO HIDE IN A CLOSET**

* * *

Chapter 35

"There's only one problem," Bansha said, zipping the Changeling Stone into a pocket of the jacket Lloyd had loaned her. "I don't have an elemental dragon."

"I can go with you and give you a ride." Cole suggested. "I'll turn invisible and we'll pretend you're controlling it."

"I suppose that will work." the bladeswoman nodded, harnessing the energy of the Changeling Stone to make her an exact copy of Lloyd.

"You know what to do, right?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes. Go to Chen's island, wait for 30 minutes, then they will bring me inside and let your friends go. I hope. Then wait for you to attack from the clouds."

"Right. Nya?" the blond boy turned to the water ninja, who was standing by the window with her eyes closed.

"I'm creating a storm behind us, as the wind is blowing towards Chen's island. It won't hit Bansha and Cole."

"Yeah, well, I'll have to run off and hide somewhere after I drop her off." Cole pointed out. "If they see the slightest unexplained movement, they'll attack Bansha and kill the girls."

"Yeah…" Lloyd frowned. "Well, you're the leader. You decide."

"Right." The earth ninja shook his head. "I keep forgetting. I guess I'll find a cave to take shelter in from the rain."

"Okay." The blond boy nodded. "You need to go. Good luck."

"Same to you." His double gave him a nod before walking outside with Cole at her heels.

"Remember to act like me!" Lloyd yelled after them as the ghost ninja formed his dragon.  
"What do you act like?" she called back.

"Um… probably really nervous, but stubborn. And really worried about Jessica."

"Right. Of course.' His double smirked. "You better get there in time so you can bail us out, though."

"Yeah, yeah. Oh! Cole! Take this." Lloyd ran over and handed him a communicator earpiece. "Let us know when you get there. After you get to cover."

"Got it." The black ninja nodded, climbing on his dragon behind Bansha and reaching around her to take the reins. "Don't blow this." The green ninja heard him say sternly to the woman in front of him.

"I'll do my best." The blademistress replied with a shrug. Cole shrugged back, then his dragon took off as he faded from sight. Lloyd watched them fly away, then turned around and walked back inside to prepare for their attack.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd hovered on his dragon above the storm clouds, checking his watch obsessively as he waited for forty minutes to pass. Three minutes to go. Was Bansha inside by now? Had they figured out it was a trick? They couldn't, could they? Unless they spotted Cole… he hadn't contacted them in a while… of course, that was because Kai had instructed him not to talk so they wouldn't find him. But that didn't make him feel much better. What if they had jumped him and subdued him before he had a chance to call for help? What if they had taken him and Bansha prisoner and were lying in wait for them to attack? What if-

"Lloyd?" Kai's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked to his right to see the fire ninja hovering beside him. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah…" the blond boy looked down at the storm clouds below him, exhaling softly. "I'm just worried this won't work out."

"So am I. But, hey, with me in charge, what could go wrong?" Kai flashed a grin at him and Lloyd returned it. "One minute left. Get ready." He said a moment later, glancing at his watch. "Nya! Start pulling back the clouds!"

"Got it." The water mistress nodded, creating a slowly-growing gap in the clouds. Lloyd's heart pounded as he stared at his watch, which was synchronized with the others. 45 seconds. 30. 20. 15. 10. 5.

"Go!" Kai shouted, his dragon shooting forward as he dove into the gap. Lloyd spurred his dragon forward along with the others, diving down after Kai. As they flew straight down, the fire ninja's dragon set one of the temples aflame with a breath of fire. Zane froze a second temple's roof, weakening it, then burst through it. Lloyd started to follow him inside, but stopped when the ice ninja flew back out with the call,

"It's empty!"

"Storm the main one!" Kai yelled over the crackle of fire. "Zane, Nya, Lea, Kloey! Attack the biggest temple! Lloyd, Tylor, you're with me!" the others obeyed, five of them heading for the largest temple while Lloyd and Tylor followed Kai into a burning one. Once he was satisfied it was empty, the fire master beckoned Lloyd to a wall. "There's probably a secret passage to the dungeons somewhere." He said loudly to be heard over the dying flames. "Try bashing things with your power." The blond boy nodded, charging a ball of golden power before slamming it into the wall. The temple shook. "Tylor, can you do anything to help?" Silence. "Alright." As the spiky-haired ninja walked back to check on his brother's progress, Lloyd managed to blast open a trap door. "Alright!" Kai exclaimed, pushing away the remains of the door that concealed the stairway. "Come on!" Quickly, the blond boy descended the steps, Kai and Tylor following him down.

"Jessica! Indigo!" Lloyd called out once he reached the bottom, his voice echoing through the tunnels. After a few moments, he heard an answering yell in his crush's voice.

"Lloyd?"

"Keep talking!" Kai yelled. "We need to be able to find you!"

"Split up?" Tylor suggested, gesturing to the hallways in front of them that went to the left and to the right.

"Yeah." Kai nodded. "I'll go left, you and Lloyd go right." Without waiting for an answer, the fire ninja ran off down the left passage. "Indigo! Jessica!" Lloyd heard him call again.

"Hurry up and find us!" the daredevil's voice pleaded. "I hear fire!"

"The dungeon is stone. You'll be fine." The green ninja called back, starting down the right passage with Tylor at his heels.

"The doors are wood! Wood can burn!" Indigo yelled indignantly.

"The fire can't get to it through the stone. Relax. Are you both alright?"

"I've got Vengestone keeping me from using my powers on me, but other than that we're both fine." The ghost girl replied. Her voice was louder. They were getting closer.

"Are _you_ okay?" Jessica asked. "We saw you get dragged off by Victoria."

"You know her?" Lloyd asked in surprise.

"We just heard Morro say her name." came the daredevil's reply. "Again, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I got pretty beat up, but I'm fine now."

"Oh. Good." Abruptly, Tylor yelled,

"There!" pointing to a cell ahead. Lloyd looked up to see a pair of pale-green hands gripping the bars on the cell window. Quickly, he ran ahead to the door, looking inside to see the two girls staring out at him.

"There you are!" the blond boy exclaimed, his face breaking into a grin. "Stand back, I'm going to break the door down." The two backed away into a corner of the cell as Lloyd charged a ball of golden energy, watching as he slammed it into the door. The wooden door fell straight forward, crashing to the ground a foot in front of the girls. The green ninja proceeded to run into the cell, grabbing Indigo's write and using a pulse of golden energy to unlock the cuff.

"Wait, you can unlock locks?" the void mistress frowned. "Why didn't you just unlock the door, then?"

"Breaking things is more satisfying." Lloyd shrugged. "C'mon, let's go find Kai." He turned and left the cell, waiting for the girls to follow him out before turning back the way they had come. "Kai! We found them!" he yelled.

"Great! I'll meet you back at the stairs!" Came the fire master's answering shout.

"Got it!" the blond boy called back before starting off down the passage.

"Lloyd, wait." Lloyd felt a hand grab his arm, and he looked back to see Jessica holding his wrist. Indigo and Tylor stopped, but the green ninja waved them away.

"Go on ahead. We'll catch up in a moment." Tylor opened his mouth to protest, but Indigo shushed him and pulled him away. The blond boy turned back to the smaller girl, asking, "What's up?"

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" she asked, her voice worried. "You said you "got pretty beat up". And that was only two days ago."

"Trust me, I'm fine. Sensei gave me some magic tea." He gave her an encouraging smile.  
"Alright. If you say so." The two stared at each other for a few moments, and Lloyd realized his heartrate was speeding up. She was really pretty. Quickly, before he could think better of it, he bent down and kissed her on the lips. The brunette let out a squeak, staring at him in shock. After a fleeting second, he pulled away and quickly turned around and began to walk back the way they had come.

"Lloyd, wait up!" he heard her run after him to catch up, but he didn't turn around, fully aware that his face was flushed red. They both were silent as they hurried to catch up with the others, and neither of them had spoken a word when they reached the stairs.  
"Kai!" Lloyd yelled, as the fire ninja had yet to arrive.

"Lloyd." Jessica whispered, trying not to attract Indigo and Tylor's attention. "What was that?"

"That was a kiss." He whispered back.

"I know, but _why_ did you kiss me? Do you…" she trailed off, blushing.

"Love you?" he finished. "I… think so." Her eyes grew wide, but she didn't have a chance to speak as Kai appeared around the corner and ran towards them.

"Sorry I'm late." He apologized breathlessly. "Come on, we need to see how the others are doing." With that, the fire master took off up the stairs, and Lloyd and the others followed. Once they reached the top, Kai led them out of the temple and into the courtyard. The fire the red ninja had previously set had spread to the other buildings, and no enemies were anywhere in sight. The other ninja, as well as Kloey and Bansha, were standing in the center of the courtyard.

"You got them!" Cole yelled as Kai and his ground ran to join them. "They had no idea what hit them! We've won!"

"Did you kill them?" Indigo asked.

"No, they ran away and we couldn't find them. But they've lost their base and their bait. We've definitely won this battle."

"Alright!" Lloyd whooped. "Let's get out of here!" Cole nodded, and the others summoned their dragons, those without them climbing on behind those who did. Jessica climbed onto Indigo's dragon, as she was probably still shocked from his kiss. At least, he hoped it was that, and now that she completely and utterly despised him. What if she didn't actually love him, and he had misunderstood Indigo's comment? To distract himself from those thoughts, he glanced around the courtyard to do a mental roll call of the others. Where was Kloey? Had she stayed to help the Overlord clean up this mess? No, wait, there she was. A little yellow bird perched on Jay's shoulder. Wait, where was Lea? Was she trapped in the fire?  
"Lea!" the blond boy yelled. "Where are you?" He waited for a few seconds, but heard nothing. "Lea!"

"Here!" the mistress of animals' voice came from one of the burning buildings, and Lloyd turned to see her running from the smoke and flames.

"Are you alright?" he called worriedly.

"Yeah. Mostly." The black-haired girl ran over, stopping next to him and leaning over to brace her hands on her knees. "I'm not hurt, just tired."  
"Alright, good. Can you make your dragon and-" Lloyd was cut off when Lea abruptly grabbed his wrist and yanked him off his dragon. "L-Lea, what-" he stuttered, staring up at her in shock. In response, she raised her arm above her head, and her nails grew long and sharp until they resembled tigers' claws. Lloyd barely had a chance to create a shield of golden energy before she slashed down at him, her claws scraping across his shield as he gasped in shock. As he gaped up at her, she let out an almost-hysterical laugh.

"You're all so hilarious!" she cackled. "All this time, you were _so_ convinced that _she_ was the spy! You never even considered me!" she jabbed a claw in Kloey's direction, causing the bird to twitter in confusion. "I have to say, though, her timing was very convenient." Lloyd just stared at her in shock. _She_ was the spy all along?! How was that possible?!

"Get away from Lloyd!" he heard Kai yell, his brother's voice snapping him out of his shock. Before Lea could react, the green ninja shoved the golden energy around him towards the black-haired girl, throwing her back 20 feet. Quickly, the blond boy jumped to his feet, summoning his dragon again and climbing on.

"Let's get out of here!" he yelled again.

"Yeah, c'mon everyone!" Cole agreed, taking off. "If Lea follows, shoot her out of the sky!" The others chorused their affirmation, taking off with him. Lloyd was the last one to take off, casting a glance at Lea, who was staggering to her feet from where she had slammed into a building. He felt kinda bad for her. She seemed really nice, even if it was just faking, there had to be some good in her. As he turned back to the others, he realized that everyone else was far ahead of him. He needed to catch up. Spurring his dragon forward, he hurried to get to the rest of the group, who were disappearing above the clouds. They were all above the clouds now, but he was quickly catching up. Then everything went black. A hand slammed in from of his eyes, then a second covered his mouth. He couldn't breathe! He tried to grab the hands away, but two more grabbed his wrists and yanked them behind his back. He tried to scream, but the hand pressed against his mouth barely let any noise through. His dragon vanished from underneath him, and suddenly he was being dragged across solid ground. He struggled violently, trying to find footing to keep himself from being pushed forward. Where was he?! What was going on?! Abruptly, the hands let go of him and shoved him forward, causing him to pitch forward and forcing him to throw his hands out in front of him to break his fall. Once he caught himself, he looked up to see where he was, and his heart nearly stopped beating in terror. He was in one of Chen's temples. Ghosts surrounded him, including Morro. Directly in front of him was the Overlord, who was leering down at him cruelly.

"Welcome back… _Golden Ninja._ "

* * *

 ***pokes head out of closet* no questions this time haha too busy hiding also I updated the oneshots so go read it BYYYYYEEEEEEEEEe**

 **~FFF**


	36. Captive

**Ayyy really quick update**

 **also I laughed so hard at everyone's reviews last chapter I mean you all were just so nuts I'm choking**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK: I knew you would react like that.**

 **Starry: I knew you would react like that.**

 **KRR: I was actually kinda surprised at your reaction. I didn't know you cared about Lloyd so much. Did I maybe rekindle your interest in this story? :D**

 **Ebony Umbreon:** **I knew you would react like that.**

 **Nicktastic Productions:** **I knew you would react like that.**

 **Samantha:** **I knew you would react like that.**

 **The Pink Ninja:** **I knew you would react like that.**

 **also LRFK VS KRR THE ULTIMATE BATTLEEEEEEE**

* * *

Chapter 36

Lloyd slammed a ball of golden power against the glass in front of him, silently willing it to break. To his dismay, it only bounced off, dissipating as it hit the opposite wall. Outside the wide, glass tube, the Overlord let out a raspy laugh.

"Isn't it good to be back, Golden Ninja?" the creature of darkness hissed. "We've missed you."

"Can't say I return the sentiment…" the blond boy muttered, trying to find a way out of his glass prison. It was a perfect replica of the machine that had drained his golden power the second time they fought the Overlord, undoubtedly to be used for the same purpose. But why? What did they even need the golden power for?

"I assume you're wondering why I haven't infected you yet?" the Overlord rasped. That hadn't actually occurred to him, but he was curious. He didn't answer, though, choosing to glare silently at his captor instead. The villain chuckled again before saying, "Your tough act doesn't fool me. I know you're afraid. I can feel your fear. But it won't change what I'm going to do to you." Lloyd couldn't stop a shudder from going through him, and his enemy's grin widened. "Well, go on. Guess why I haven't made you my slave." The green ninja was silent for a few moments before it became evident that the Overlord wasn't going to explain until he guessed.

"You… want me to be afraid." He guessed at last.

"You're close." The monster said with a raspy laugh. "I want you to know that you're helpless. I want you to watch as we destroy your friends with your own power. And then I want you to watch your _best friend_ kill you." Lloyd's face paled, and he quickly turned away, but the Overlord saw and began to laugh. "You can't escape from me. Neither can your friends. They are outnumbered. Outmatched. And now, their greatest weapon is _mine_. Ninjago will fall without you. And there is _nothing_ you can do about it."

"Save the gloating." Lloyd looked over his shoulder to glare at his captor. "It can only be used against you by your enemy." The Overlord looked stunned, and the room was silent until Chen yelled,

"Oooooh, you just got BURNED!"

"Shut up, scum!" The creature of darkness snapped as Master Chen snickered. "Stop laughing and ready the machine. I want this brat put in his place." The Overlord muttered as he stomped off. Lloyd waited for him to leave the room, then drew his fist back and punched the glass with all his strength. He hissed as his knuckles met the unyielding glass, a wave of pain going through him as he yanked his hand back. He heard Chen let out a bark of laughter as he watched dark bruises form on his hand, and looked up to see the former noodle tycoon pressing various buttons on the dashboard in front of him. Lloyd could hear him muttering about buttons, but his already-quiet voice was muffled by the glass too much for the blond boy to understand. Finally, the red-haired man looked up and grinned at him, flipping a final switch. Then, out of nowhere, the drain of his golden power hit him like a bag of bricks. The green ninja gasped, stumbling forward to brace his hands against the glass. It wasn't that it _hurt_ , exactly, but this feeling was almost worse than pain. It felt like the wind getting knocked out of him, only ten times worse. He could barely stand up. He could barely _breathe_. It was pointless to fight it; he knew that from the first time this had happened. Sliding to the ground, he closed his eyes, desperately hoping that he would black out and be free of this feeling, at least for a little while.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"…see when he blacked out?"

"Only a couple minutes in."

"Pity. Perhaps next time I can shock him to keep him awake." What happened? What was going on? Groggily, Lloyd opened his eyes, lifting his head and looking around. He was still lying in the center of the platform, but the machine was off and the glass shield previously around him was raised. About ten feet away, he could see five or six black cylinders with bands of glass around the center, displaying the golden power stored inside. So they were storing it for some reason. "You." The Overlord snapped, and the blond boy looked up, wondering if he was talking to him. He wasn't. Lloyd watched as Morro crossed the room, stopping next to his master. "Take these to the storeroom." The creature of darkness ordered. The infected ghost obeyed silently, stepping over to the nearest container and picking it up. As soon as he touched it, though, a bolt of golden energy leapt out at him, and Lloyd watched in shock as his brother's skin changed back to green in a flash, his eyes' purple glow fading and revealing the pale-green irises underneath.  
"M-Morro!" the blond boy stuttered in shock as the ghost stumbled backwards in confusion.

"Lloyd? What happened? What's going on?!" the wind master demanded, his eyes widening as they fixed on the Overlord.

"M-Morro, run!" Lloyd shouted as he spotted Chen running up behind the ghost. Morro spun around, but it was too late, the former noodle tycoon snapped a pair of vengestone cuffs on his wrists and yanked him off balance as two of Soul Archer's ghosts ran into the room and grabbed the wind master's arms.

"Lloyd!" his brother yelled helplessly as he was dragged away.

"Infect him again." The Overlord ordered. "And find that djinn for me."

"I have a name, you know…" Lloyd startled as Nadakhan appeared next to the Overlord in a puff of smoke, all four hands on his hips. Four hands. Teleporting. He was the one who had snatched him off his dragon and brought him back here.

"There you are…" the creature of darkness muttered. "Take these," he gestured to the canisters of golden energy. "to the storeroom. Then take the brat to an empty cell."

"Fine." The djinn muttered, taking one of the cylinders and vanishing with it. A moment later, he reappeared empty-handed and took another. As he repeated this process, Lloyd lifted his hand into his field of view, trying to summon a ball of golden power. All he managed a spark, a tiny bolt of energy that leapt from one finger to the next with a tiny burst of light. The Overlord chuckled.

"You're not quite as powerful as you thought, Golden Ninja." His captor gloated. The blond boy lifted his head to glare at him, but he didn't have the strength to talk back. "Aren't you looking forward to when we do it again?" Again?! They were planning to drain his energy more than once?! What did they even want with his power?! Unless they were just doing it to hurt him… he wouldn't put it past them… "Take him to a cell." The Overlord ordered Nadakhan, who had finished transporting the canisters. "And see to it that he rests up."

"Right…" the djinn muttered, floating over. He grabbed Lloyd by the arm, then the room changed around him and he found himself in a dark cell. Looking disinterested, Nadakhan let go of him and started to move away, but the blond boy spoke up.  
"W-wait…" the djinn turned back, raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I-I want to make a wish." Lloyd pushed himself back up against the wall, sitting up and leaning back against the wall. The orange-skinned man's mouth curved into a smile as he folded one set of arms over his chest.

"By all means, go ahead." Nadakhan encouraged him. Lloyd hesitated, thinking through exactly how he wanted to word this. After a moment's thought, he spoke.  
"I wish my father was invincible." The djinn stared at him blankly, and he quickly went on. "That he can't be hurt by any physical thing. That includes illnesses. But he stays a normal human, just unable to be hurt." Nadakhan's smile slowly faded, and he uncrossed his arms.

"Your father." He repeated.

"Yes." The two locked eyes for a few moments before the orange-skinned man shrugged and said,

"I see no harm in that." Nadakhan snapped his fingers, and Lloyd's face lit up.

"You couldn't twist my wish?"

"I _could_ twist it; I just chose not to." The djinn rolled his eyes. "It doesn't affect out fight. I understand your affection for your father." The orange-skinned man stared into space for a moment before shaking his head and vanishing. Lloyd exhaled slowly, letting his head droop onto his chest. He might die, or be tortured, or whatever the Overlord planned to do to him, but at least his dad would be safe. And maybe, just maybe, he had found an ally in Nadakhan.

* * *

 **idk if anyone noticed this because only Starry commented on this, but Kloey was NOT the spy, despite how everyone thought she was. NYAHHAHAHAHHAHA**

 **and the new one-shot got no reviews so I don't think anyone read it lol**

 **READ**

 **~FFF**


	37. Hope

**my flash drive went missing**

 **so that sucks**

 **I need to go back to typing this directly into the fanfiction window again**

 **oh well**

 **Review replies:**

 **Samantha: What do you mean by "go about it"? Like, how should you start it? Are you planning to show it to anyone, or just read it yourself?**

 **1234:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **KRR: "His pain makes me happy". That pretty much sums her up. xD**

 **Ebony Umbreon: SOMEBODY'S GONE SOFFFTTTTTTTT that made me laugh so hard. This is going to play out very... interestingly.** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **LRFK: YOU ARE MEAN**

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Kai ranted, pacing back and forth up and down the room. "We lost him! We're dead now! And all because I was idiot enough to leave him behind!"

"Kai, stop." Indigo tried to calm him down. "We're all to blame. We all left him behind."

"Yeah! And you know what? I'm part of everyone! Which means it's my fault!" the fire ninja snapped.

"Well, ranting about it isn't going to help anything." Zach spoke up. "Let's try to think about this rationally."

"We don't have time to "think rationally"! We have to-" Kai was cut off by Nya covering his mouth with her hand, effectively stopping his tirade.

"Kai, stop." she said sternly. He groaned, but fell silent. When she pulled her hand away, he spoke again, this time quieter.

"We need to rescue Lloyd."

"Kai, there's no point." Sensei Wu shook his head sadly. "The Overlord will have him infected by now. It's over."

"It's NOT over! We can't just give up!" the red ninja yelled. "If there's ANY hope of getting Lloyd back, we HAVE to take it! Lloyd is our only hope!"

"There's no point in trying to get him back!" Garmadon sounded angry. "All we will achieve is our own imprisonment!"

"If we _don't_ try, the Overlord will win, and we'll be made into his slaves anyway!" Kai bit back. "If we fight, we at least have a chance!"

"There is no chance, alright?!" Lloyd's father snapped. "It's over! Lloyd is most likely dead! What's the point?!"

"That's why we _need_ to attack! If he's still alive, we need to rescue him! Even if he's infected, we have the Golden Armor! We can change him back!"

"I'm not- there- there is no "if"! Lloyd is dead!"

"Why do you keep saying that?! We don't know that! There's no reason the Overlord would kill him, he would infect him and use him as a weapon! Why do you refuse to believe it?!"

"I don't know!" the older man snapped. "I-I can't let myself hope!" the anger in his voice faded, replaced by sadness. "I can't..." Unable to finish, Garmadon turned and ran from the room. After a moment of stunned silence, Misako ran after him, followed by Wu.

"I didn't..." Kai broke the silence, but trailed off again. "I didn't know he would react like that..."

"He's upset about Lloyd." Nya said softly. "We all are."

"I know..." the red ninja sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. "We _have_ to save him. He can't be dead. H-he can't" Kai's voice cracked and he swallowed. "He's the green ninja. The golden ninja. He can't die."

"He's only human, Kai." Nya said gently. "Garmadon could be right. But, like you said, we can't give up hope. We need to be strong. Even if Lloyd is dead, we need to honor his memory by fighting back against his murderer. Even if he is gone, we can still win. We have to." From where she had been watching this exchange in the corner of the room, Jessica began to cry. They were talking about him like they would never see him again. Would they? Was his kiss, then him saying he loved her, the last she would ever know of him? She buried her face in her hands, sobbing quietly as she felt Indigo's cool hand rest on her shoulder. What if they were right? What if he was dead? She couldn't stop repeating these two questions in her head, trying to calm herself down, but to no avail. Without Lloyd, Ninjago was doomed. Without Lloyd, she had nothing left to live for.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd sniffled, wiping the tears off of his face with his sleeve. The full weight of what was happening to him had hit him shortly after he had made his wish, and he had broken down in tears. He had cried for at least half an hour (maybe longer, it was hard to get a good sense of time in this place) before calming down and forcing himself to think rationally. He could feel golden power inside of him, but it was useless due to the vengestone that lined his cell. Maybe he could attack whoever came to take him back to the Overlord. Unless Nadakhan just teleported him back... wait. That gave him an idea. Lloyd's mouth curved into a smile as a plan formed in his ind, drying the rest of the tears off of his face with his other sleeve. He could do this. He would have to suffer through another drain, but it would be worth it. Now, all he had to do was wait.

* * *

 **so apparently not everyone shares LRFK's opinion of Lloyd**

 **like, no one**

 **except the overlord**

 **Garmadon: waaah Lloyd is dead  
** **Kai: technically we don't know if he's dead-  
Garmadon: SHUT UP HE'S DEAD**

 **also you all have been ignoring what I've been telling you in the end A/N, such as I posted another oneshot and that I tricked you all. Most of you. Anyway.**

 **LRFK, I ship you with my other Lloyd-hating friend, just btw.**

 **~FFF**


	38. Reunited

**I am on a rolllllllll**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony Umbreon: Maybe you're right, maybe you're not...** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **LRFK: Clearly, since we just saw him. Alive. Making a plan to get out. Clearly he's dead. And yes, I ship you with my friend. I SHIP IT OTP Also I don't know if you noticed but KRR is using you as a character in her reviews. They're pretty funny if you want to go read them.**

 **KRR: You just saw him alive, so... he's fine.**

 **Nurse Medusa: YES THAT IS HOW YOU DO THE MEME I'M CRACKING UP HAHAHAH- ha. Okay. I'm glad you liked it! ^u^**

 **flufflepuff: Wassup m8**

 **Flash drive is still missing... -n- Please pray that I'll be able to find it, guys.**

* * *

Chapter 38

"...your fault, you shocked him too hard. I didn't get to hear him scream."

"Well _sorry_ , boss. It's not my fault he's so wimpy." Lloyd awoke from a second round of the power-draining machine to Chen and the Overlord arguing. They had tried to keep him awake by zapping him with electricity, but that had only served to knock him out faster. The Overlord was evidently very annoyed by this, as he was ranting at Chen about it. It didn't matter to Lloyd. All he needed was to catch the Overlord's attention so he could put his plan into motion. Once the creature of darkness was finished yelling, he turned and started to leave the room. No, no no no no no. He needed him.

"O-Overlord..." he croaked, his voice raspy. His captor stopped, then turned around and approached him.

"What do you want, _brat_?" the Overlord hissed.

"I-I..." he swallowed, trying to clear his voice. "I d-don't care what you do to me, but... p-please don't infect m-my friends. I-I can't s-stand to see them i-infected like that..." As he spoke, the dark lord's mouth curved into a wicked grin.

"You _know_ you shouldn't tell me things like that." He snapped his fingers and Morro stepped forward, his blank, purple eyes staring into space. "Take him to his cell." he ordered the infected ghost, who nodded silently and approached the boy on the ground. Lloyd feigned terror, but was inwardly smirking at the ease of which he had manipulated the Overlord. All this was going according to plan. Roughly, Morro picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, and Lloyd didn't struggle as he carried him away. He needed to wait until they were far away from the bad guys. Then he could try to change him back. The blond boy waited until they were in the middle of the dungeons, then started to struggle. He felt Morro's grip on him tighten as he tried to squirm away, but the ghost kept walking. Finally, the wind master snapped,

"Cut it out! Do you _want_ me to drop you?!" Lloyd didn't answer, just kicked him in the stomach. With a shrug, Morro dropped him. Reflexively, Lloyd landed in a somersault, coming out of it in a crouch. The infected ghost turned around as Lloyd got to his feet, taking a step back as his brother smirked. "Are you going to try to run? You _know_ that isn't going to work."

"Actually..." the blond boy glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming up behind him before turning back to his opponent. "I'm not." Abruptly, Lloyd threw himself forward, slamming into Morro and knocking down. The ghost shoved him away, but the blond boy grabbed his shoulder and held on tight as he summoned a spark of golden energy. A spark was all it would take, right? It was all it took before. Morro raised his fist, but, before he could his him, Lloyd released the energy and it hit his brother squarely in the chest, causing his eyes to widen in shock. The ghost was frozen for a moment before his skin changed back to its normal color, his eyes following suit. "It worked!" Lloyd exclaimed as the wind master looked around in shock.

"Lloyd? What happened? You're..." he blinked, then his eyes widened in realization. "You're okay!" Morro hugged him tight, an embrace that was happily returned. "I saw you... the Overlord had you..." the ghost paused. "Where are we?"

"Chen's dungeon. The Overlord told you to bring me down here, but I broke away from you and turned you back to normal. I still can't believe that worked."

"Wait, how?" Morro frowned. "How did you break the effect of the dark matter?"

"With my golden power."

"Golden power?"

"I can't explain now. We have to get out of here. The Overlord will know you're not infected anymore since he can't control you mentally. We need to run before they catch us."

"Of course." Morro pulled away, holding the younger boy at arm's length as he examined him for injuries. "Are you hurt? Can you walk?"

"I'm a little banged up, but otherwise just really tired." Lloyd sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head droop onto his chest. "I don't think I can walk. Not very far, anyway."

"That's fine. I can carry you." Gently, the ghost slipped his arms underneath the blond boy and lifted him up, standing up and leaning him against his chest. "Which way?"

"That way, I think." Lloyd pointed back the way they had come, and Morro nodded. "Hurry."

"Got it." the wind master set off down the hall at a brisk pace, doing his best not to jostle the boy in his arms. Lloyd closed his eyes trying to rest. If there was going to be a fight, he needed as much power as possible.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Morro skidded to a stop and Lloyd opened his eyes in surprise at the unexpected voice. As soon as he located its owner, his blood ran cold. Nadakhan. "Trying to escape, are we?" the djinn chuckled. "You'll never make it out of here alive."

"Nadakhan, please, let us go." the blond boy begged.

"Why should I do that?" the orange-skinned man scoffed, folding one set of his arms. "You are the losing side. The Overlord will defeat you and all of your allies. There is no reason I should help you."

"If you join us, he may _not_ win." Morro spoke up. "Please, help us." Nadakhan was silent for a few moments, staring down at them, before he sighed and closed his eyes.

"You may go. But you had better get out of here fast, before they find you." With one of his remaining arms, the djinn pointed down a passage to their left. "Down there is a stairway to the surface. Get out of here as fast as you can."

"Thank you!" Lloyd exclaimed as Morro ran down the hallway. As he heard Nadakhan vanish again, he let his eyes fall closed. They were going to make it. They were going to escape.

* * *

 **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **~FFF**


	39. Guardian

**THEY SEE ME ROLLIN'**

 **THEY HATIN'**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony Umbreon: Wait... you SHIP MORRO AND LLOYD?! Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope. Morro X Lloyd is pedophilia. Unfollowed, blocked, reported. Also I thought you hadn't seen it since I didn't see any reviews on it... heh... But no. Morro and Lloyd is no. Morro is already dating Indigo for crying out loud. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. Also you said "there is one thing that I must say... that I would never in canonical circumstances... *inhales deeply* okay... here I go...I SHIP IT!" Why do you ship it here but not in canon? Morro already has a girlfriend, and Lloyd has a crush on Jessica? Ew.**

 **Nicktastic Productions:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Kat: Stop your complaining. Lloyd is in no way out of danger. Also you wrote "Floyd" instead of "Lloyd"... lol...**

 **1234: The Overlord has anger issues.**

 **TheAmberShadow: Aww, thanks so much!** ❤︎ **I'm glad you enjoy it! Writing Nadakhan is a lot of fun, and I seem to have accidently redeemed another bad guy... whoops. Oh well. xD**

 **WKOFA: He can rest... fairly easily. xD He's not out of danger yet.**

 **Samantha: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: OoO Really? Cool! Just out of curiosity, what's number 1?**

 **Flufflepuff: Nadakhan says thank you. :D**

 **Starry: Lol... we fans will go to great lengths to keep our ships alive. xD**

 **Also a friendly reminder not to ship Morro and Lloyd thank you have a nice day**

* * *

Chapter 39

"They're getting away!" The Overlord raged as Chen's camera locked on Morro and Lloyd, escaping on the former's elemental dragon. "#$%! It's too late to send Victoria and Lea after them, they'd never get to them in time!" Abruptly, the dark lord swiveled around, his eyes fixing on Nadakhan. "You! Knock them out of the sky!"

"I cannot teleport to them, there are two of them." The djinn shrugged. "You would be required to make a wish."

"Then tell me what to wish for!"

"Let me think." Nadakhan paused, tapping one finger on his chin. He would let the Overlord wait for a few moments. He wanted to give the two a chance to escape. Lloyd had really done nothing wrong. Besides, the Overlord treatment of his underlings wasn't helping his opinion of him. Just as the creature of darkness opened his mouth to snap at him, the djinn spoke. "You could wish Morro's powers gone. Lloyd is powerless, he could do nothing to save himself."

"Fine! Then I wish Morro's powers gone!" There were many interesting ways he would twist that wish. For starters, he didn't specify _when_ the ghost would lose his powers. However, the Overlord would surely be angry if it didn't happen immediately, so he would have to do it fairly soon. Secondly, he didn't specify _how long_ his powers would be gone, so, say, 24 hours. Finally, he didn't specify _which_ powers would be gone. His abilities to possess things, walk through mirrors, make his dragon, etc. surely counted as powers. Therefore, he would take away his ability to make his dragon, and his ability to possess things. There.

"Your wish is yours to keep." Nadakhan bowed low, snapping his fingers. Morro kept flying. The Overlord stared at the screen for a few moments before demanding,

"Why haven't they fallen yet?!"

"The wish takes a moment to take effect." the orange-skinned man shrugged. "Give it a moment." Just then, Morro's dragon vanished, and the two fell out of the camera's range. The Overlord began to laugh, but stopped when Chen zoomed out the camera, revealing them falling towards the mainland. The lord of evil swore again.

"They made it to Ninjago!"

"Yes, but we can send the girls after them now, right?" Chen spoke up. "Morro is powerless and Lloyd is weak. Lea and Tori can hunt them down and either kill them or bring them back."

"Yes... of course..." the Overlord mused. "Soul Archer, go find them." the creature of darkness ordered. "Brief them, and then send them off. The sooner we find them, the sooner we take control."

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Morro groaned, rubbing his head where it had hit the tree. When his dragon had vanished without warning, he had thought they were done for. Fortunately, they were over the island instead of the ocean like he thought they were, and they had landed in a forest. He had managed to shield Lloyd from hitting most of the trees, but they were both bruised and battered, Lloyd likely more so due to his previous injuries. What happened to his dragon? He definitely hadn't desummoned it on purpose.

"Morro?" he lifted his head to see Lloyd staring at him from where he lay on the ground a few feet away. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." the ghost nodded.

"We need to find shelter. It looks like it's going to start raining soon." the energy master informed him. As the wind master nodded again, Lloyd struggled into a sitting position, glancing around the small clearing they lay in. Suddenly, he gasped, his body jerking in surprise. "What is that?" he pointed to something behind his brother, who sat up, looking behind him to see a small, flaming skreemer hovering in the midst of the trees about fifteen feet away.

"It's a..." the ghost frowned. "A fire ghost. But where is it doing here, in Ninjago?"

"A what?" the blond boy asked in confusion.

"A fire ghost. When I lost my memory and injured myself by mistake, it helped me." the master of wind explained. "I'm guessing it wants us to follow it."

"Oh. Okay." Lloyd tried to get to his feet, but Morro stopped him.

"You're weak. Let me help you." Reluctantly, the blond boy complied, but refused to let him carry him.

"I can walk." he insisted. "You're hurt too. You took most of the hits on the way down."

"That's fair." the ghost shrugged. "At least let me support you."

"Fine." Lloyd let his brother wrap an arm around his back, holding him up as they started after the ghost. As they got close, it started floating away, stopping when they fell too far behind. Slowly, they followed it through the forest, occasionally casting a nervous glance up at the sky as thunder rumbled above them. Finally, the ghost led them to an old-fashioned house in a clearing, where it flew up to it and vanished inside. Morro and Lloyd exchanged glances before approaching the house and stopping in front of the door. As the wind master raised his hand to knock, the door opened, revealing a ghost girl standing in the doorway. No, not a girl, a woman.

"Come inside." she said, her voice soft but dark. "Hurry, before the storm starts." The two obeyed, entering the dimly-lit house and following the woman into a large room with various sofas and chairs. She motioned to one of the couches, and Morro lowered Lloyd onto it before sitting down himself. As he glanced around the room, the first thing that caught his eye was the woman's armor. She wore light, shiny, bronze armor, the purpose of which he wasn't sure. Underneath it she wore dark clothing, the exact color of which he couldn't tell in the dark room. Why was this place only lit by candles? Did she not have electricity?

"Who are you?" Lloyd spoke up.

"My name is Whisp." she replied, in the same soft voice. "I am the guardian of the Cursed Realm. I command the fire ghosts that have helped you... twice, now."

"There's a guardian?" the blond boy frowned.

"Thank you for helping us." Morro nodded to her. "We would have been in trouble if we hadn't found shelter before the rain starts."

"Exactly why I led you away." she nodded back. "For now, you should both rest. Night is falling. In the morning, you may meet the others who live here."

"There are other people here?" Lloyd asked.

"Obviously, since I just said there were." Whisp rolled her eyes and began to walk away. "Sleep."

"But-" the green ninja started.

" _Sleep_." The ghost woman walked away. Morro and Lloyd exchanged glances again, then the blond boy shrugged and rested his head on Morro's shoulder. This triggered a memory from a few months ago, and the wind master grinned as he said,

"Hey Lloyd?"

"Hmm?"

"Remember last New Year's, when you kept insisting you could stay awake, and then you fell asleep?"

"You shut up."

* * *

 ***throws another OC at you and runs away***

 **So... how many people actually read this story? I mean, I know like 8 or 10 of you review regularly, but, like, at least a few of you are guests, and this story has like 25 followers. So, could everyone who reads this leave a review on this chapter? I would really like that. :)**

 **~FFF**

 **P.S. I found my flash drive. It had apparently gone through the washer, though, so we're trying to dry it out so it doesn't fry it when I plug it in. But thanks for praying. ^ ^**


	40. ASDYSAGDASASHDBFAB

**Guess what today is**

 **GO ON GUESS**

 **if you can't guess I put it in the end note**

 **Review Replies:**

 **KRR's OCs: Oh well. I'll miss her. :'(**

 **Nicktastic Productions: Wash the car with roses.**

 **Ebony Umbreon: Like I said in the message I sent you, it's fine.**

 **1234: You'll see ;)**

 **Kat: Okay then. xD**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Okay, thanks! I would have thought that Astrid16's True Grit would be first place, that has like a bazillion reviews, but it's only like... third. Lol.**

 **ShinyShiny: Hi.**

 **WKOFA: They are indeed cool. :D**

 **GinNozomiGarmadon: Sorryyyyy... ;_; I just keep forgetting about her. I can't keep track of all these characters... Don't worry, I'll give her some spotlight next chapter.**

 **SnowyOwlAssiassin: Glad you like them! They showed up for the first time in my story _Forgotten_ , so you should read that if you haven't. :) As for Lloyd and Jessica, as soon as he gets back to the Monastery. Hard**

 **roakelily: Hi! c: Your OC sounds cool, but... could I put her in next book? I'm already too confused by all the OCs I have already... ^ ^' Sorry. And I'd rather not have her be Morro's sister. I mean, I guess that would be canonically possible, since we don't know about Morro's family, but... what's with the cat ears and stuff? Is she like half-cat? Morro's not half cat. xD Also, does "Force" refer to the powers the Jedi use in Star Wars? I'm a little confused, sorry. ^ ^'**

 **Beanzibo: Hi *waves***

 **Thanks for reviewing everyone. I wasn't aware that like... a third of you were regular readers. xD**

* * *

Chapter 40

"Morro, Lloyd, wake up." Morro was awoken by his name being said, and he opened his eyes to see Whisp standing in front of the couch that he and Lloyd lay on. Slowly, the ghost boy sat up, shaking the blond boy next to him awake as well.

"What is it?" Morro asked as the green ninja blinked his eyes open.

"It is morning." The ghost woman replied quietly. "I would like you to meet the other two here, as all of you may be staying for some time."

"Other two…?" Lloyd mumbled sleepily, sitting up. Whisp nodded.

"Abigail and Alice."

"HEY WHISP! DIDJA SEE IF THE STORM STOPPED YET?" the wind and energy masters jumped at the unexpected shout, but their host was unfazed. A moment later, a blond-haired girl clomped down the nearby stairway, jumping the last two steps to the floor and landing with a _bang_.

"Will you be quiet?" an annoyed voice came from another room. "I'm _trying_ to _read_."

"Sorry!" the first girl yelled before turning in their direction and frowning. "Who're you guys?"

"This is Morro, and Lloyd." Whisp said in the same, calm, quiet voice, gesturing to both of them in turn. "Morro, Lloyd, this is Alice."

"Sup." The blond girl greeted them, striding over and offering them a hand for them to shake. Lloyd accepted it, and she said, "You two look familiar. Have we met before?"

"Well... I'm kinda the most popular celebrity in Ninjago right now…" Lloyd shrugged.

"Oh. I don't really keep up with celebrities." Alice glanced at Morro. "Who're you, then?"

"I'm… Lloyd's friend." He didn't really want to bring up the whole trying-to-destroy-Ninjago thing.

"Nice to meet you." She nodded. "Like Whisp said, my name's Alice. But you can call me Ali. Want me to go get Abby?"

"I'm here." Out of nowhere, a red-haired girl appeared standing next to the couch with an open book balanced in the crook of one arm.

"Hmph. Show off." Alice rolled her eyes as Lloyd jumped at the girl's sudden appearance. "That's Abby. Abigail. She can teleport."

"Cool." Lloyd sounded genuinely impressed.

"Thanks." Abigail smiled faintly. "I'm the master of time. I can stop time for a few moments and go to a different location. Not exactly "teleporting", but I supposed that's a reasonable word for it. Lloyd and Morro, right?" the two nodded. "Lloyd, I know you're the green ninja. And Morro…" she paused. "Didn't you try to take over the world once?"

"…I'm not proud of that." The ghost boy looked at the floor.

"Morro's good now. He's one of my best friends." Lloyd sounded defensive.

"I guessed that from the way you spent all night snuggled up with him on the couch." The blond boy blushed at the redhead's matter-of-fact statement.

"Uh… yeah." He shifted, then winced. "I wonder how long it'll take for me to heal…"

"At least a few days." Whisp spoke up quietly.

"But I have to let the others know I'm alright!" the green ninja protested. "They think Morro and I are still the Overlord's prisoners!"

"If I can make my dragon, I can fly you back." The wind master offered. "I don't know if I can, though…"

"Wait until the storm passes." Whisp told them. "Do not attempt to create your dragon inside the house. That would not go well."

"Heh. Yeah." The ghost boy chuckled. "I guess we're stuck here until then."

"Correct."

"Can you answer some questions for me?" Lloyd piped up. "Because I'm kinda confused."

"I suppose."

"Great. So, for starters, what's with the guardian thing? Does Ninjago have a guardian?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"You."

"What? Me?" he looked surprised. "But…"

"You are the golden ninja. You are the most powerful being in all of Ninjago. You are its guardian."

"But… you're really, like, cryptic and mysterious. I'm nothing like that."

"Guardians vary." She shook her head. "Just is Morro is your guardian, you are Ninjago's."

"Wouldn't that make Morro Ninjago's guardian?"

"No. His duty is to protect you, while yours is to protect everyone in Ninjago."

"Does that include him?"

"Sometimes, yes. You support each other."

"Cool." Lloyd glanced up at Morro. "So you're officially my guardian."

"Technically your parents are your guardians."

"Different kind of guardian." The blond boy rolled his eyes. "It's pretty funny, seeing as you hated the very thought of me once."

"'Funny' isn't the first word that comes to mind."

"Kai and the other ninja are guardians of yours as well. As is your father." Whisp spoke again.

"Cool. Who's Kai's guardian?"

"Nya."

"Seriously?" the blond boy burst out laughing. Morro began to laugh as well as the human girls stared at them in confusion. "Nya is Kai's younger sister." Lloyd explained. "I find it hilarious that she's his guardian."

"Ah." Ali nodded. "Welp, I'm hungry. I'm gonna go make some breakfast. You guys want some?"

"Sure." The blond boy shrugged. "'Haven't eaten in a couple days."

" _Days_?!" Morro exclaimed, sitting up straighter and staring down at him in surprise.

"Yeah. It's not like the Overlord fed me anything."

"Well yeah, but why didn't you mention this before?"

"It didn't occur to me. I don't really feel hungry."

"Doesn't matter. You're going to come and eat _now_." Without waiting for an answer, the wind master scooped him up and stood up, following Ali towards the kitchen.

"Hey!" Lloyd protested, struggling. "I can walk!"

"You haven't eaten in two days, remember?"

"How does that affect my ability to walk?"

"You're weak. Besides, you fell out of the sky."

"That was your fault!"

"It was not. I did not desummon my dragon on purpose. It just vanished."

"Whatever. Just put me down."

"No."

"Put me dowwwwnnnnn."

"Fine." The ghost boy set him down on a chair in front of the table in the center of the room. "Sit there and do not leave."

"Sure, Mom."

"What?" Morro gave him a funny look.

"You're acting like a mother hen! I'm not _that_ injured!"

"You are. Besides, you're acting like a child."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!"

"You're arguing like a child."

"I am not!"

"That right there was arguing like a child."

"Oh be quiet and get me something to eat." Lloyd huffed, folding his arms. "I mean, if you insist on fussing over me." Morro smiled, rolling his eyes and starting to look for something to eat.

* * *

 **If you couldn't guess, and I doubt anyone could, today is...**

 ***drumroll***

 **THE ANNIVERSARY OF WHEN I STARTED WRITING FANFICTION**

 ***wild applause, fireworks go off, statue of myself is built in front of the white house***

 **lol nevermind that.**

 **Anyway. I'm really pretty proud of myself for getting this far, and not just getting bored of this and wandering off to watch youtube videos or something. It wasn't really me, though. If I hadn't gotten any reviews or feedback from you guys, I would have abandoned this in like a week. I never would have gotten this far without you guys. *blows kisses***

 **~FFF**


	41. Rest Easy

**I GOT A NEW CAT**

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**

 **that's partially why this is late actually**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK: Lloyd really shouldn't hide things like that.** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **KRR: Aww, thanks Kaylor. :D I hope you're doing okay, KRR.**

 **WKOFA: No they do not. xD I finally got all the OCs in! Yay! :D Thank you so much! ^u^**

 **flufflepuff: That will be useful, since there's like 40 OCs at this point... xD Thanks! Also, about your OC... Sorry, but no. I'm definately not doing Gem OCs, that would make it a Steven Universe/Ninjago crossover, and that's not the way I planned this. Besides, I can't keep track of the OCs I have now... wait until next book, please.**

 **Nicktastic Productions: I ate a rose once. In a fanfiction, but that still counts, right? xD How does breakdancing even work... lol... thanks! :D**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: That was random. xD That'll be like... the chapter after next.**

 **Ebony umbreon: Thanks! :D I'm actually listening to a youtube video right now... but it's like a music thing, it's to help me focus on writing. xD**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Thanks a lot! c:**

 **Samantha: I know, right? I loved writing that scene. ^w^ Sorry, I could have sworn I gave a useful review on that bit of your fic you put in that review... :/ I really like it. No, I don't think it's too dramatic. It's a little jerky, but it is a prologue, so that's pretty common. And I haven't written in 1st person for a while... so... I hope I get to read it sometime, but if you'd rather I not that's fine. :)**

 **Mikachu Writing: That's fine. ^ ^ And yeah, Lloyd is a kid at heart. I really like your icon, btw. :)**

 **TheAmberShadow: Prolly Jay, yeah. But also the Senseis. And she kinda protects Jay too, so... they're like mutual guardians. ^ ^ Whisp is there to help with the whole Overlord thing.**

 **CAT**

* * *

Chapter 41

Kai sat in a hard chair on one end of the Living Room in the monastery, aimlessly paging through a newspaper. Since the others had given up on Lloyd, and there was no way he could rescue him on his own, they were making no attempt to save him. They were preparing for a fight. They had sent Ni back to ready her people for a fight, while the others trained in the dojo for the inevitable fight. Kai and Jay had already finished, and were sitting in the living room reading. The latter was reading a comic book, a StarFarer one, to be exact. He really liked those. He would chatter about them for hours when things weren't so tense. It was all Lloyd's fault, for getting him obsessed- no. Don't think about Lloyd. The others were all training hard, including Indigo and Jessica. While Indigo was dangerous if she could land a hit on her opponent, and Jessica could do some sick acrobatics, neither one could really handle a weapon. Sensei Wu was trying to teach them, but it was difficult trying to train them both at once. Sensei Garmadon… they hadn't seen him in a couple days. Misako had said he was in his room, mourning… Lloyd. Agh. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. He and Jay sat up straight, glancing at each other in a silent query as to who would answer the door. After a moment, they heard Gin's voice,

"I'll get it!" and soft footsteps. They heard the door open, then muted talking. After a moment, Lloyd's adopted sister called, "Uh… did someone order a pizza?" Kai and Jay exchanged glances again, then the blue ninja shrugged.

"Wasn't me." The redhead said. The red ninja stood up, heading down the hall to the front door to see a girl in a delivery outfit holding a pizza box and Gin in the doorway.

"Jay, go check with the others." The spiky-haired boy called back to the living room before turning back to the delivery girl. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite remember why. "Give us a minute." He told her. She shrugged.

"I can wait." After a moment, she said, "Hey, you're the ninja, aren'tcha?"

"Yep." Kai flashed a grin.

"Cool." She nodded impassively. "Can't say I'm a huge fan of you. Spiky-haired, fire powers, hot temper. That cliché is way overdone." She giggled mischievously. Kai frowned.

"Uh… okay?" This was one weird kid. When was Jay coming back? Thankfully, he heard Jay's footsteps coming down the hall behind him, his voice floating ahead of him.

"None of the others ordered a pizza. Must've gotten the wrong address. Better check the-" Abruptly, his sentence broke off with a gasp. "Th-that's the girl!" he exclaimed. "The one with the shadow powers! She was with Morro!" Kai's eyes widened as the girl took a step back, throwing the pizza box behind her to free her hands.

"So you've found me out. Oh well. I suppose there's no hope for me, is there?" She burst into a fit of giggles, startling the red ninja as she vanished before their eyes.

"She's a shadow!" Gin exclaimed, jumping back. "Jay, run for help! Kai and I will catch her!"

"Hahaha. You think I want to run?" Kai whirled around to see the girl emerging from a shadow behind him as Jay ran off. "'Course not." She vanished again as he lunged for her, appearing behind him again. "I just want to get my boyfriend and be on my way."

"Boyfriend? What are you talking about?!" the fire ninja demanded, trying to grab her again but failing.

"You know who I'm talking about." The blond girl giggled, darting out of his reach and shoving from behind, making him fall forward. 'Ha! You're even more pathetic than I thought!" the girl cackled.

" _Enough!_ " A beam of purple light knocked the girl out of the shadow she hid in, causing her to yelp in surprise. Kai looked up to see Gin tackling the Overlord's minion, pinning her to the floor with one hand while holding up a ball of purple energy in her other.

"Owwww!" the girl whined, trying to squirm away. "No fair! Light counters shadow!"

"Exactly why I used it to take you down." Gin smirked. Just then, Jay appeared, leading all the others with him.

"You!" Indigo exclaimed. "Kill her!"

"Hey, hey, ninja don't kill." Appo reminded her.

"Do I look like a ninja to you?" the ghost girl folded her arms.

"We're not gonna kill her." Gin said firmly. "But, maybe we can get some information out of her."

"I ain't tellin' you nothin'." The blond girl said firmly, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. "Say, where's Lloydy? I'd've thought he would've come to greet me."

"You kidnapped him, dummy." Jessica snapped. The girl laughed.

"Haha, not anymore! Didn't'ja know he escaped!" She blinked, then slapped a hand to her forehead. "I am _so_ getting fired."

"Lloyd's _free?!_ " Garmadon demanded. "He's _alive_?!"

"Well _duh_ he's alive." The blond rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't kill my boyfriend, now would I?"

" _Boyfriend_?" Jessica asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he and I were totally making out." The girl giggled. "I mean, he's a wimpy crybaby, but at least he's better than hothead here." She nodded towards Kai, who curled his hands into fists.

"How dare you talk about my brother like that?!" Gin snapped, raising her fist and punching the girl in the face, making her yelp in pain.

"You hit like a girl!" the blond spat, obviously with the intention of enraging her further. To her surprise, Gin only grinned.

"Thanks! I knew all this working out would pay off!" With that, she socked the girl in the face again, and no one made a move to stop her. Jessica actually cheered. Unfortunately, since she was off balance, the blond girl managed to knock Gin away, scrambling to her feet and fleeing. Once she reached the middle of the courtyard, she summoned her dragon, flying off as fast as she could. There was a moment of silence as they watched her fly away before Ming cheered,

"Great job, Gin! You sure showed her!"

"Thanks!" Lloyd's adopted sister grinned again, giving the older girl a high-five. Kai just stared after the retreating dragon, his mind reeling as what the blond girl has revealed. Lloyd had escaped? By himself? Well, it really didn't matter how. What did matter was that he was safe. He was alive, he was free, and he was safe.

* * *

 **That, by the way, is officially what you should say when someone says you hit/kick/ect. like a girl.**

 **Now the good guys aren't going to run off on a wild goose chase to try to save Lloyd who already escaped! Yay! :D**

 **I feel like there was something I was going to write down here... but I forgot it...**

 **~FFF**


	42. Heading back

**ok gotta post this fast gotta go to spanish class in 20 minutes**

 **Review replies:**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: That is _exactly_ what was going on. xD**

 **Kat: Glad you thought so. :D**

 **Samantha: Well... it starts very abruptly. It tells her(?) backstory very quickly. That's a common start for stories, and it's not bad, but I think it's better to start, like, a little ways in, without explaining her backstory at all at the start, then slowly tell her backstory over time. It keeps the audience interested in the story, though, if you're not showing it to anyone, then that's not important.**

 **Mikachu Writing: Yes, that's her name. xD Yep. You don't have ANY cats? I feel sorry for you. :( You're a great artist. ^ ^**

 **TheAmberShadow: His name is Ace, and he's black with white splotches. He's really cute. ^ ^ I have a laser pointer, but, unfortunately, none of my six cats are particularly playful. xD**

 **Ebony: Yep. He's much happier now. ^ ^ Thanks! :D**

 **Nicktastic: Aww, thanks! :D I'm glad I got her right. ^u^ My sister wrote a fanfic once where a guy gave me a rose and I ate it. xD It's in the oneshots, if you want to read it. I think it's called "Trollfic #1".**

 **Flufflepuff: Oh well.**

* * *

Chapter 42

Lloyd looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand as he scanned the sky for attackers. Nothing. Just a clear, blue expanse. Good. He and Morro, as well as the two girls, Abigail and Alice, were heading back to the Monastery, as the storm had stopped and he was well enough to travel. Abby and Ali, when they had told them about the Overlord, had offered to help them fight. Obviously, Abby could use her powers to to help, and Ali was apparently a very experienced fighter, able to wield a pair of tessens with surprising skill. When they had asked how she learned this skill, she had shrugged and said that she had picked it up while searching for her missing brother. Whatever, that works. Next to him, Morro summoned his dragon. After a could days, the ghost's ability to make his dragon had inexplicitly come back, and, though Lloyd was strong enough to make his own dragon now, Morro had insisted on him riding with him. Whatever. He could probably use the extra rest. Ali was riding on Abby's dragon, since she didn't have one of her own, and Whisp was staying at her house. She said that if they needed her, she would come, but, until then, she would stay in the forest. Lloyd thought it was a little odd, since she had said that the only reason she was in Ninjago in the first place was to help them against the Overlord, but he didn't argue. He was sure she knew what she was doing. After the four took off, they flew in relative silence for a while before Morro spoke up.

"Something seems… off." He said slowly. "Does anyone else feel anything odd?"

"I do." Abby nodded. "Stay alert. Something bad is about to happen, though I don't know what it is yet." Lloyd tensed where he sat behind Morro, glancing around the sky above them. Nothing. Where…? Abruptly, something hit him from behind, knocking him off the dragon and into a free-fall. What the-?! Twisting in mid-air, he looked up to see a human-shaped figure with dragon wings diving at Morro. Lea? Whoever it was, he needed to think of something before he became a green splat on the ground. Suddenly, wind swirled around him, slowing his descent and depositing him safely on the ground. Whew. Thanks Morro. As he struggled to his feet, he wondered how he was supposed to get back up and help. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to keep his dragon formed long enough to actually fight. Suddenly, he heard a twig snap behind him, and he whirled around to see none other than Tori, standing behind him about ten feet away.

"Tori!" he exclaimed in shock, taking a step back.

"Lloydy!" she squealed, her face lighting up. "How nice to see you again! Y'know, after you _ran away_." Her innocent smile turned to a dangerous one, and he took another steo back as she approached.

"I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to." He warned her. There was some dried blood on her face. "Why is there blood on your face?" the blond boy asked, trying to distract her. She looked confused for a moment, then blinked and replied,

"Oh, that. Yeah, your dumb sister punched me in the face and broke my nose." Gin?

"Why?"

"Prolly because I told them you and I were dating. And because I was insulting you." Tori shrugged.

"You told them _what_?!" Lloyd yelped. Oh man, if Jessica believed her, she was going to be so mad.

"Does it even matter?" the mistress of darkness rolled her eyes. "You're not going to see them anytime soon. The Overlord wants to kill you as soon as we bring you back, but I can't let him kill my boyfriend now can I? I'm-"

"I'm _not_ your-"

"Don't interrupt. As I was saying, I'm going to take you somewhere _far_ away, where it can be _just_ the two of us." She giggled, continuing to approach.

"That's… really creepy." He said, backing away until he hit a tree.

"Oh Lloydy, have you _met_ me?" She burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm the Master of Shadows! Creepy is just who I am!" She stopped in front of him, grabbing his shoulder and pinning him against the tree. "We're going to be together, forever." She purred. "Doesn't that make you happy, Lloydy?"

"No."

"Aww!" she frowned, letting go of him and folding her arms crossly. "Come on, what does that Jessica kid have that I don't?!"

"She- wait. How did you know it was her?"

"I watched you kiss her, dummy." Tori rolled her eyes. "But seriously, she's not even an elemental master. What does she have that I don't?"

"Well for one, she's not a psycho!" Lloyd snapped.

"Psycho?" the blond girl's eyes widened, and she put a hand to her chest in mock offence. "Why I'm insulted, my dear Lloydy."

"This isn't a joke! You are! You were just saying you were going to drag me off somewhere and never let me go!"

"Well would you rather I turn you over to the Overlord?" She narrowed her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.

"No! And this is exactly why I call you a psycho! You're giving me two options: Death, or eternal imprisonment!"

"It's not imprisonment! I wouldn't even have to lock you up if you did as I said!" Lloyd frowned.

"I'm not sure I want to know what "do as you say" would mean."

"Oh be quiet. I won't hurt you." She sighed. "Okay, this is getting dull. Let's just go." She snapped her fingers and a dome of pitch-blackness formed over them, plunging his world into pitch-blackness. Instantly, he formed a ball of golden energy, but a fist slammed into his stomach and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. A hand wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air supply and making him fight for breath. Frantically, he grabbed at the hand, but he couldn't get her to let go. He was about to black out. What was going to happen to him?! Suddenly, the darkness fell away, and Tori's hand was yanked off of him. Gasping, Lloyd looked up to see Tori, hanging upside down by one foot from a silver dragon's mouth.

"Heya!" Zaya said cheerfully. "I was wondering when I was going to find you guys."

* * *

 **Well Tori's not creepy at all. Oh wait.**

 **There was DEFINITELY something I was going to say here, but I just completely forgot... ay yi yi...**

 **~FFF**


	43. About time

**Chapter 43... where has the time gone...**

 **Review replies:**

 **Count Raptor: That's fair.**

 **Samantha: My G+ is called Elena Castleberry. Well, my work account. If you want to contact me through that, I can give you my real G+, which I'd rather not put on the internet.**

 **Flufflepuff: Ace Arrow Pride. :D Unfortunately, he went missing a few days ago. :/ He's an outdoor cat, so he prolly wandered off. I just hope he comes back...**

 **MikachuWriting: No, no, definitely not. She probably would have, once she dragged him off to wherever she planned to hide him. xD You really shouldn't compare your art to other people's. Your art is great. :)**

 **Ebony Umbreon: Yes, yes, legality is undoubtedly her highest priority. *nods wisely* Not sure when Whisp is going to make a reappearance, but I know she will!**

 **So, since I didn't make this clear before, I will not be accepting any more OCs this book. I'm already swamped as it is. xD Sorry, but please wait until next book.**

* * *

Chapter 43

Jessica stared at the chessboard in front of her, drumming her fingers on the table as she tried to decide on her next move. On the other side of the table, Zane sat calmly on his chair, his eyes closed as he conversed silently with P.I.X.A.L. Finally, the daredevil moved her rook, and, without opening his eyes, the nindroid captured her queen.

"Aw, c'mon!" Jessica threw her hands up in the air. "Why do I have to play with _you_?! You're too good!"

"Why thank you." Zane smiled, opening his eyes. "It is true; it is near impossible to beat a nindroid. Unfortunately for you, no one else is willing to play." The brunette let out a frustrated breath.

"I need to teach Indigo how to play…" she muttered.

"That may be difficult." The blue-eyed nindroid shook his head. "You need to calm down."

"What do you mean?" Jessica frowned.

"You are frustrated and tense, and were even before you started losing. Why?"

"Lloyd."

"Of course." Zane looked sympathetic. "You need not worry about what the girl said."

"Which thing? She said a lot."

"That Lloyd was her boyfriend. She dropped him thirty feet and tried to kill us. There's no way he would stay with her of his own free will. Besides, we all know he cares only for you."

"Yeah. Wait, what?" She looked up at him in shock to see him chuckling softly.

"Neither of you are as discreet as you think you are." Zane informed her. "It's been obvious for a long time that you are in love with each other."

"W-wait, Lloyd's been in love with me for a long time?" she stammered. Before the blue-eyed nindroid could answer, however, they were startled by a shout from upstairs.

"MORRO!" Seconds later, Indigo ran down the stairs, phasing through the front door and vanishing. Jessica jumped to her feet immediately, running towards the door and throwing it open. About twenty feet down the path, Indigo was running towards Morro, who was running towards her as well. However, it was the figure behind them that captured the daredevil's attention, limping up the path with a smile on his face as he watched Morro greet his girlfriend.

"Lloyd!" Jessica ran down the path towards the green ninja, whose face lit up in a smile at her approach. She wanted to tackle him, but remembered his limp at the last moment and slowed, settling for hugging him tight instead. He hugged her back, resting his head on her shoulder as she squeezed him tight. After a few moments, she reluctantly pulled away, looking him up and down to see if he had any visible injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm fine." He shook his head, grinning down at her. "I mean, Tori almost strangled me a few hours ago, but that's all."

""That's all" he says." She rolled her eyes, noting the pale handprints on his neck. "She sure is a great girlfriend."

"She's not!" Lloyd exclaimed, his eyes widening in alarm. "I mean, she's not my girlfriend! She told me she told you that, but, it's not true, I swear!"

"Don't worry, I believe you." She giggled. "You're limping, though. Why?"

"Stepped in a hole while walking around in the forest." He shrugged. "For being a ninja, I'm pretty clumsy."

"That's adorable." He blushed bright red.

"Wh- uh, thanks…?" he stammered, averting his eyes as she giggled again.

"C'mon, you should get inside so your dad can see you. He's been really worried about you."

"I bet he has." He chuckled, letting go of her and starting back up towards the Monastery. "Um… later, though, can you meet me in your room? I want to talk to you."

"Sure." She nodded, noting that he was blushing again. She had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to talk to her about. Him saying he loved her. She was pretty nervous about it. What if he had changed his mind about her? He had quickly denied having any feelings for Victoria – too quickly. Maybe he was lying. And he had called her "Tori"... No. She shouldn't doubt him. He had never lied to her before, there was no reason she should suspect him of lying now. For now, she would watch him greet the others. Then she would figure out what was going on inside his head.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd trudged up the stairs towards his room, feeling tired, but happy. He had almost been suffocated by all the hugs he had received, especially his father's. Apparently they had all thought he was dead. He would've been, if he hadn't managed to trick the Overlord into letting him free Morro. Mom had told him that Dad had locked himself in his room, refusing to let anyone but Mom in. He must have been so upset. He was so relieved to see him alive and well. Stopping in front of his bedroom door, he hesitated. Was Jessica in there? He hoped she was, but he was really nervous at the same time. He had confessed his love to her, but she hadn't responded in kind. She hadn't gotten a chance, but, still. He was worried that she didn't love him back. Well, there was only one way to find out. After taking a deep breath, he reached out, grabbing the handle and opening the door. His room was empty. But… the lights were on. Was she hiding...?

"Hey Lloyd." He jumped at the casual greeting, looking up to see his crush perched on top of the light fixture.

"Wh- how did you get up there?!" he exclaimed in shock.

"Daredevil, remember?" she shrugged, swinging down off it and landing in a crouch. "It's not hard."

"Oooookay then." Lloyd shook his head, stepping over to his bed and sitting down on the edge. "So… I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah?" She sat down next to him, a slightly-worried look on his face.

"Remember…" he hesitated, trying to calm his anxiety. "Remember when I told you I love you?"

"Yeah."

"I meant it." She visibly relaxed, giving him the courage to go on. "I've… been in love with you for a while now." He averted his gaze as he blushed, running his hand through his hair. "But I don't- I mean, I don't know- um…" he hesitated. "Do you love me?"

"Yes." She replied without missing a beat. "I fell in love with you almost the moment I met you. At first it was just a silly crush, but… after a while, I _really_ fell in love with you. I never realized you loved me, though. Not until Indigo pointed it out."

"I have to say the same thing." He chuckled softly. "I mean, I kinda guessed you _might_ like me, since you seemed really obsessed with me at first. But I never thought you, like, _liked_ _me_ liked me until Indigo told me. I have a feeling she was trying to play matchmaker." They both laughed at that.

"She said that I was really oblivious." Jessica said after their laughter died down. "She said that your crush on me was totally obvious."

"She told me that the first thing you said to me was "you're cute" and that you had made her promise not to tell me what your feelings were. Yeah, she was playing matchmaker." He hesitated. "Um… I know I kissed you once before, but, can we…?" She giggled as he blushed.

"Well you're certainly not a "bad boy". I like that about you." She booped his nose with her finger and he jerked back in surprise. "Am I a good kisser?"

"I don't have anyone to compare you to. I've never kissed anyone else before."

"Aw. Really?" she grinned. "Come here." She put a hand on the back of his head, pulling him towards her and kissing him on the lips. His eyes opened wide, then he closed them, kissing her back.

"Well it's about time." They both jumped at the unfamiliar voice, and Lloyd sat up straight to see Morro standing in the doorway with a grin on his face.

"Morro!" the blond boy exclaimed in shock. "Wh- why'd you just barge into my room like that?!"

"I knocked. No one answered, so I figured you were asleep. I guess you two finally figured out that you love each other?"

"Aw, go jump in a lake." Jessica waved him away. Morro feigned offence.

"I'm hurt."

"Why were you coming to my room, anyway?" Lloyd asked.

"Your dad wanted me to check on you. So I did. I guess I'll go report back to him now." The wind master turned away.

"Morro, wait!" the green ninja exclaimed, but the ghost paid him no heed. Jessica put a hand on his arm, catching his attention as she said,

"Relax. Everyone will know soon enough anyways."

"I guess…" Lloyd's face still burned with embarrassment as he glanced back at the closed door. "I should probably get some rest like Dad told me to…"

"Yeah. But first, one thing."

"Hmm?" He looked over at her, and was instantly pulled into another kiss. This, he decided, kissing her back, was better than rest any day.

* * *

 **Writing Lloyd and Jessica is so different from writing Morro and Indigo because Lloyd is so SHY**

 **like wow**

 **Morro was never shy like that**

 **~FFF**


	44. Tantrums

**WHAT'S THIS?**

 **AN UPDATE?!**

 **HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?  
**

 **anyway**

 **Review Replies:**

 **GinNozomiGarmadon: I'll try to fit that in, but currently I really can't think of anything... haha...**

 **Ninjagirl8: Oh man, I really want to do that now... the only problem being, I don't know how to change him back from there. I mean, basically, if Lloyd's corrupted then the Overlord's won. Lloyd and the Overlord are the most powerful beings in Ninjago, and with them on the same team they're practically invincible. Though, the good guys do have Garmadon, who can now theoretically touch the Golden Armor since it can't kill him... hmm...**

 **Everyone gave me so many ideas I don't know what to do with them all... haha... I will DEFINITELY be doing something with invincible Garmadon, and I'll definitely be doing something with Nadakhan. Flufflepuff, I already have a plot thought out for the next book, which takes place in an alternate timeline, so... that won't work. xD Sorry. Also, TheAmberShadow, I did actually explain that. It's my story called Despair.**

 **This chapter is short and lame, but I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Chapter 46

"And you're UGLY! and you're STUPID! And NO ONE LIKES YOU!" Victoria ranted, banging her fists on the bars of her cell to emphasize her point. Jessica just rolled her eyes. Sensei Wu had assigned her and P.I.X.A.L., Zane's newly-rebuilt robotic girlfriend, to guard Tori, their latest prisoner. Lloyd and the others had brought her back as a prisoner after her failed attempted to kidnap him, and had locked her up, much to her indignation. She was enraged at the sight of the brunette, and had launched into a tirade about how she was worthless and dumb. Jessie didn't care. She just smirked at the insults, infuriating her even more. Finally, the blond stopped screaming, folding her arms and glaring at her rival. "And Lloyd doesn't love you! He loves me!" she snapped before whirling around to glare at the wall. Jessica instantly jumped to her feet, snapping back at her,

"You take that back, worm! You don't deserve him!" Raising an eyebrow, Tori turned back around with a smirk.

"So, that's your weak spot, is it?"

"No, that's my say-one-more-word-and-I'll-break-your-nose spot." the brunette hissed. The blond only grinned.

"You can't reach me through the bars. By the way, did you hear my plans for Lloyd?"

"No, and I don't care." Jessica spat.

"I was _so_ close to capturing him. He's too pathetic to fight back. Another second and he would have been all mine..." Tori grinned as the daredevil struggled to keep her anger in check.

"How dare you?!" she snapped at last. "Don't you dare talk that way about Lloyd! He's a person, not a toy for you to play with!"

"Haha, of course he is. He's a person, sure, but he has no free will. When the Overlord captured him, he was too scared to even fight back. Silly child! Such a sweet boy, but far too weak to do anything of use."

"Jessica, it would be unwise to react." P.I.X.A.L. spoke up as the brunette opened her mouth to continue the argument. "Replying only fuels the flames, it will not solve anything."

"But she's talking trash about Lloyd!" Jessica protested. "What if she was insulting Zane?!"

"Then I would bring him down and let her insult him to his face. He would not be bothered, just as you were not bothered when she insulted you." Jessica blew out a frustrated breath.

"Fine. I would go get Lloyd, but he's supposed to be resting." Jessica turned, giving the prisoner a cold stare. "Say whatever you like. You may think whatever you want, but it doesn't mean it's true."

"You're so dumb. I have no idea what Lloyd sees in you." Tori retorted, turning away again as the daredevil forced down her rage.

"Like I said, not everything you say is automatically true." she said cooly, turning around and sitting down again. The blond girl huffed, falling silent. "Thanks, P.I.X.A.L.." she said after a moment.

"Gratitude is unnecessary." The silver-haired android shook her head. "But, you are welcome."

"Yo, guys!" Jessica jumped at the unexpected voice, turning around to see Jay clomping down the stairs. "Gin and me are here to relieve you! You should go up and have dinner."

"'Gin and I'." P.I.X.A.L. corrected. "And yes, Jessica, let us rejoin the others." ES is a skrub k thx

"Right." the brunette nodded, standing up and heading towards the stairs. Before she ascended them, though, she glanced back at Tori to see her glaring at her murderously. Shaking her head, she turned around and almost crashed into Gin, who was stepping off the stairs. The daredevil opened her mouth to apologize, but was interrupted when Tori spotted Lloyd's sister and sneered,

"Hello, stupid." As Gin instantly fired back an insult of her own, P.I.X.A.L. sighed, resting her forehead on her hand.

"Here we go again."

* * *

 **Told ya it was short.**

 **I've been meaning to rebuild Pixal for a while, I just couldn't find a chance to do so. So I just threw her in there.**

 **Have fun**

 **~FFF  
**


	45. Tank

**Wow I actually made it**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony Umbreon: So she is. xD Your review made me crack up.**

 **SWMR: Tori is so much fun to write. It's a welcome change from writing good people all the time. And it's not like I don't get inspiration for her from all my siblings... lol**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: Yeah, well, Lloyd was busy resting. And probably arguing with his old friend would stress him out, so... yeah. And yep. I imagine that's what jet lag feels like. xD**

 **GinNozomiGarmadon: Cracked up at that xD**

 **Nicktastic: Relatable. xD Won what?**

 **Samantha: Glad you liked it! :D She seems to be pretty popular. ^ ^ I have seen DotD, but no spoiler. ;)**

 **Ninjagirl: Glad you think so. :) I usually write in bed at the end of the day, and I'm not allowed to drink tea in my room, but I could try during the day. I would like to read your stories, but Wattpad often doesn't work for me, so I'll give it a shot but I can't guarantee anything.**

 **Guest: relatable**

 **TheAmberShadow: It's okay. xD I have the exact same problem. And yep! That's actually not the next season, that's the Halloween special, Day of the Departed, which has already aired in other countries at this point and I've already seen it since it's posted (in really bad quality) on Youtube. I would appreciate prayer, thank you. :)**

 **I swear there was something I was going to say here...**

* * *

Chapter 45

"Now swing." Zane instructed, watching as Lloyd obeyed. The nindroid frowned, walking in a circle around him as the blond boy held his position. "I think…" he said at last. "I think you're fully healed."

"Yes!" the green ninja grinned, letting the sword in his hand drop to his side. "About time!" It had been a week and a half since he had escaped from the Overlord. Since then, he had mostly been confined to his room, and, when they did let him out, they always made him stay with one of the others. Finally, they would let him be on his own again. "Does that mean I can do stuff without having a bodyguard all the time?" Zane hesitated, and Lloyd's smile vanished.

"Well… you're not allowed outside on your own." The ice master said at last.

"But I can still wander around inside on your own, right?"

"Well…"

"Oh c'mon!" the blond boy snapped. "I haven't had more than a moment to myself in the last week!"

"You were badly injured, Lloyd." Zane tried to explain. "We can't risk you getting hurt again."

"I _know_ , but… I just wish you guys wouldn't baby me all the time. I'm not helpless."

"No, but you are not invincible, either. You can be defeated, quite easily if you're off guard. And we're not only doing this for your sake. We're doing it for all of Ninjago. Without you, Ninjago will fall."

"I know…" the blond boy mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Speaking of invincible…" Lloyd looked up to see his father standing in the doorway of the dojo. "Can either of you explain this?" Lifting a kitchen knife in his left hand, the older man brought it down on his right wrist, making Lloyd jerk in surprise. It didn't cut him.

"What-" Zane started, but stopped, shaking his head. "What was that?"

"I'm invincible." Garmadon shrugged. "I accidentally touched a heated burner earlier, but I didn't notice until Wu pointed it out. I tried poking myself and cutting myself as well, but neither had any effect. Do either of you know what's happening?"

"I have no idea." The ice master shook his head. "Perhaps P.I.X.A.L. would know?"

"No, no, I know." Lloyd spoke up. Both of them looked at him and he swallowed. "I… made a wish."

"What?" Zane exclaimed. "With Nadakhan?!"

"Yeah. I was really really careful not to let him twist it, though." The green ninja nodded. Zane and his father exchanged glances.

"So… what exactly did you wish for?" the grey-haired man asked at last.

"I wished that you were invincible to any physical thing. Including sickness."

"And he didn't take the opportunity to turn me into a skeleton or something?"

"I also specified that you would stay a human."

"Ah."

"He… after I finished, he told me that he _could_ twist it, he just chose not to. He said he understood why I wanted to protect you. I don't think he's all bad."

"When was this?"

"When I was in the Overlord's dungeon."

"Oh Lloyd…" his father shook his head. "You were trapped, locked up with the threat of death, and when you had the chance to make a wish you used it for me?" Smiling the older man crossed the room towards him, hugging him tight. "I'm so proud of you." Lloyd smiled back, squeezing him just as tight.

"I didn't even need a wish. I got out of there myself."

"Not only that, but you rescued Morro as well. Like I said, I'm very proud of you."

"Sensei Garmadon," Zane spoke up, causing them both to look over at him. "You realize that your invulnerability makes you a valuable asset, correct?"

"What do you mean?" Lloyd's father frowned.

"You're invincible. Nothing the Overlord can throw at you will have any effect. You can fight." The nindroid pointed out. "And you can most likely touch the Golden Armor."

"That's true…" the older man nodded slowly.

"Wait, the Golden Armor? Are you sure?" Lloyd frowned. "That's… the most powerful energy in the universe."

"You said 'invincible to any physical thing', not, 'invincible to any physical thing except the Golden Armor', right?" the gray-haired man chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Alright…" the green ninja shook his head. "Just… be careful."

"Of course." His father leaned close and kissed his forehead. "Come, let's go tell your mother about this. I nearly gave her a heart attack by trying to stab myself with a kitchen knife." That made Lloyd laugh.

"Right. Zane, can you go tell the others about this?"

"Of course." The ice master nodded, and the three left the room, heading their separate ways to inform the others of this new development.

* * *

 **"Garmadon's invincible now."**

 **"You mean he's having a midlife crisis?"**

 **"No, I mean he's literally invincible."**

 **"Wait, isn't he like a million years old? Wouldn't that be like a... end-life crisis?"**

 **"THAT'S NOT IT"**

 **Zane trying to explain.**

 **By the way, the Ninjago fandom on tumblr is celebrating Day of the Departed on the 29th, as per my suggestion. ;) It is now a fandom-wide holiday.**

 **~FFF**


	46. Issues

**Well, the last chapter got... three reviews. I assume that has something to do with the fact that I deleted two A/N chapters, so that it appeared that I had deleted a chapter instead of posting one in the chapter count. Also that it's messed up and it won't let signed-in profiles review more than once on the same chapter, and since the pervious chapter should have been 47 but ended up being 45... eh, whatever.**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK: The other ninja.**

 **flflll ff: "That is great -?- this holiday". I don't get it. xD**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Aw, he's not that cruel. Maybe. April fools day around there is gonna get preeeeetty hectic...**

 **Since I am no longer dead, I'm gonna work on replying to the PMs I've gotten after this.**

* * *

Chapter 46

"We could storm them…" Cole mused, tapping the map on the table in front of him. "Though, they'd probably just drive us back. They do have a position of power."

"We have a lot of brute force, though." Kai pointed out. "There's Garmadon, an army of shadelings, an army of nindroids, Clouse, etcetera. And all of us, but we're better ninja that just brute fighters."

"Maybe we could pick them off somehow." Lloyd spoke up." Like, separate them somehow."

"I don't think so. We'd have to get to them to do that, and, as far as we know, they stay in Chen's old base on his island. We can't take them all at once." Cole paused. "Though, while we're on that subject, maybe we can draw them out somehow."

"You mean, like, bait them into a trap?" Kai asked.

"Yeah. What's something they really want?"

"Lloyd?"

"Out of the question. Anything else?" There was a moment of silence before Jay snapped his fingers.

"The Golden Armor!"

"Good idea." Cole nodded. "Okay, here's an idea. We spread around the rumor that we're going to move the Golden Armor back to Borg Industries in, say, a week. On that day, we bring a huge box – which is empty, but they won't know that – to Borg Tower, then just leave it outside. Whoever's escorting it, probably two or three of us, will go inside and leave it unguarded. Meanwhile, the rest of us will be nearby, hidden in buildings and behind bushes and stuff. When they show up, we pounce on them." The black ninja slammed his fist into his open hand to illustrate his point. "Anyone see any issues with that?"

"Shouldn't we leave an obvious guard or two with the box?" Zane spoke up. "If it's _too_ easy, they might not take the bait."

"Hmm, good point." The earth ninja nodded. "Anyone else?"

"We might need more than a week." Sensei Wi said. "Just to be certain that they hear the rumor. Perhaps too?"

"Yeah, good idea." Cole nodded again. "If no one else has any suggestions, I'm going to move on to strategy and placement." The ghost ninja stepped over to a computer at the side of the room, typing for a few moments before hitting a final key and stepping back. "This," he gestured to the screen, and Lloyd stepped closer to see Borg Tower and the surrounding buildings. "is where we'll be fighting. As you can see, there are quite a few tall buildings surrounding the tower. There are also plenty of alleyways, which will be good places to hide. We, the ninja, Kloey, Zaya, Tylor, Zach, etcetera, will be hiding here. Well, except for the escorts. Kai, Jay, and Zane can do that. We can also bring a couple of nindroids to "guard" the box." Cole pointed to a row of trees. "There's another place to hide. Morro, Indigo, and I, being ghosts, can hide in plain sight. Any comments?"

"Once the battle starts, what do we do?" Nya asked.

"Well, Kai, Jay, Zane, and I don't have our powers so we'll be mostly distracting them while you, Morro, Indigo, Kloey, Abby, and Alice try to knock them out, or at least incapacitate them. You'll have to be careful, of course, because your powers can kill us ghosts, but-"

"Wait, wait." Lloyd interrupted. "What about me? I have my powers, and they're the most powerful of all." The others exchanged glances and his heart sank.

"Well…" Zane started hesitantly.

"Oh, not this again!" the blond boy snapped, turning around and storming out of the room. He kept going until he reached his room, where he slammed the door and locked himself inside. He sat down with a huff on the edge of his bed, where he folded his arms and glared at the wall.

"Something wrong?" Lloyd startled violently at the sound of Morro's voice, almost falling off his bed. Once he regained his balance, he whirled around to see the wind master standing just inside his room.

"The lock is there for a reason, you know…" the green ninja muttered, turning back around to face the wall.

"I know. What's bothering you?"

"This!" Lloyd sat up straight, pointing directly at him. "You or one of the others always follow me _everywhere_ , and I'm sick of it! I'm not a child!"

"You're acting like one."

"I am _not!_ "

"Yelling, complaining, stomping around, slamming doors, and pouting. You're acting _very_ childish." Lloyd was silent for a few moments as Morro sat down next to him before sighing and letting his hands drop to his sides.

"I guess."

"Lloyd, you know why we won't let you fight."

"You don't want me to get hurt. But you need me! I have the golden power! The ninja gave their powers to me for a reason, if I don't fight then it's useless!"

"You make a good point." Morro nodded. "But I'm not sure if the others are willing to take that risk."

"Of what? Losing me? I can take care of myself!"

"Yes, you can. Sometimes. In the forest, when Victoria attacked her, you couldn't defeat her."

"I _could_ have."

"But you didn't. If Zaya hadn't rescued you when she did, you would be in the Overlord's hands all over again."

"That wasn't that I was too weak. I just… she used to be my friend."

"I know. Your emotions play into it too. It's never just about how powerful you are. When we try to bait the Overlord in with the fake golden armor, it almost certainly won't go as planned. It never does. You may get distracted, or startled, or jumped from behind. As powerful as you are, you still have weaknesses. If they all attacked you at once, you would easily be overpowered. And I don't doubt that they will. You're their main target."

"Yeah." Lloyd sighed, sitting down again. "I still don't see why I have to have a bodyguard all the time. Especially when I'm _inside the Monastery_. Seriously, how could I possibly be in danger here?"

"I'm not saying you are. Your parents and Wu want us to keep an eye on you."

"What? Why?" Morro hesitated.

"I'm not really supposed to tell you."

"Why?"

"Reasons."

"That's not useful."

"If you want to know, go ask your father. It was his idea."

"Alright then, I will." The blond boy stood up, but Morro grabbed his arm.

"You know they don't mean any harm. They just want to protect you."

"Holing me up in here for weeks on end isn't helping. It makes me just want to run off in the middle of the night." He started to pull his arm away, but stopped when he saw the look on Morro's face. "Wait… is that why they have someone guarding me all the time? They think I'll run off?" The ghost hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes."

"Well then." Lloyd sighed, sitting back down and resting his head on his hands. "I mean, that's valid. I do feel like running off."

"Lloyd, please don't. You know it's not safe."

"Yeah, but I'm so sick of being cooped up in here!" the green ninja huffed. Morro was silent for a few moments before saying,

"I'll see if I can talk the others into letting you fight."

"Really?" Lloyd lifted his head, a smile lighting up his face. "Thank you!"

"Anything to keep you from running off on your own." The ghost smiled faintly. "I'm going back downstairs."

"Okay. Wait, you're leaving me alone?" the blond boy's eyes widened.

"Yes."

"Again, thanks." The green ninja grinned, sitting up straight as Morro smiled back.

"I'll be back in about half an hour." With that, the ghost stood up, turned around, and phased back through the wall. Lloyd exhaled, falling onto his back on the bed. For the first time in weeks, he was alone.

* * *

 **Lloyd has issues.**

 **~FFF**


	47. Rage

**I HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN OVER THIS INFERNAL WRITER'S BLOCK**

 **This is short, but it was worth it to get over that part I was stuck on. :P**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony: Exactly.**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Not in the next 29 minutes, no...**

 **LRFK: Yep. He's a messed-up kid.**

 **Nicktastic productions: You must be a psycho like me... come to the dark side...**

 **Ninjagirl8: Will do.**

 **TheAmberShadow: Yeah... nothing ever goes right for him.**

 **Samantha: He's messed up, but, yeah, it's not his fault.**

 **Flufflepuff: xD Yep.**

 **ninjachief547: Thanks! :D I'm glad you like it! He will relatively soon, 7 or 8 chapters at most. And you'll see. ;) If you're happy with it, you should probably post it. I did with mine, not expecting anyone to really care, and yet here I am. :D**

* * *

Chapter 47

"You know they're right." Morro tried to reason with Lloyd, who was sitting on his bed glaring at the wall. "You're too valuable for us to throw into a fight."

"You wouldn't be _throwing_ me into a fight. I'm a _ninja_. I wouldn't just jump on them." Lloyd muttered. "I thought you were on my side."

"I am, but there's nothing I can do to change this, so you might as well accept it." The ghost sat dow next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, but Lloyd shrugged it off.

"Let me sulk in peace." That made Morro laugh. "I'm serious, Morro!"

"If you're serious, then "sulk" was a poor choice of words."

"Whatever. Just go away."

"Lloyd, sitting around and moping doesn't help anything. And pushing us away is only going to make it worse."

"I'm not pushing "us" away, I'm pushing _you_ away."

"What's your point?"

"My point is, you're annoying me!" Lloyd snapped, his face whipping around to glare at him. "You always think you can make everything better by just talking at me and making all my problems meaningless! Well that doesn't work! You guys _apparently_ don't trust me not to get murdered, so you lock me up here and expect me to deal with it! And now you're trying to get me to "see reason", which is what you ALWAYS do, and you're just making me more mad! So GO AWAY! I don't want to talk to you!" Scowling, Lloyd turned back towards the wall, his arms crossed angrily across his chest. Slowly, Morro stood up, hurt and confusion flowing through him.

"L-Lloyd, I-"

"Go. Away." The blond boy growled. Silently, Morro turned around, leaving the room without a word. What happened? Had he said something wrong? Why had Lloyd gone off at him like that? Lloyd was right, he was an idiot. He didn't deserve to be cooped up in here. But now it was too late, the others would never change their minds. He should have tried harder to convince them. Now Lloyd was mad at him, and it was his own fault. Sitting against the wall in the hallway, Morro buried his face in his knees, wondering how he was going to beg Lloyd's forgiveness.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd sat in his room for hours, muttering angrily to himself from time to time. He felt kinda bad about yelling at Morro. But, nothing bothered him, did it? Maybe he should go apologize... no, if he did then people would never take him seriously when he got mad. They would think he didn't mean it. After a few more minutes of sitting there, a thought came to him. What if he _did_ run away? Just to show them what he could do? He could go to Chen's island, and take one of them down by himself. He could bring one of them back here, proving that he was good enough to fight on his own. Yes. Tonight, once everyone else was asleep, he would leave.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd sat up in bed as the moon rose outside, looking over at the bed across from his. Cole was asleep. Good. Slowly, silently, the blond boy slipped out of bed, changing into his ninja clothes without a sound before moving over to the window. He felt a little bad about leaving. He knew the others would freak out when they saw he had left. But he had to. Otherwise they would never let him fight. Silently, he pushed the window open and climbed onto the roof. Sorry, guys. Summoning his dragon, Lloyd climbed on, then flew off into the night.

* * *

 **Lloyd needs guardian angel so he can teamfight.**

 **He's tilted, so now he's gonna try to 5v1. Well, it's kinda a 4v1, since Nadakhan is trolling, but they still have ganks, and Overlord built thornmail, so he's gonna get shut down.**

 **Kudos if you understood that.**

 **If you need me, I'll be in the closet, hiding from flying rotten vegetables.**

 **~FFF**


	48. Fight

**SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME BUTTER BECAUSE I'M ON A ROLLLLLLLLL**

 **my sister came in while I was writing and said that so now I have to say it to get it out of my head**

 **Review replies:**

 **Mikachu Writing: It shows a lot these days... and thanks! :D**

 **Zena: Like Ebony said, Garmy has the worst luck.**

 **Ninjagirl8: Haha, I'm glad. And they're pretty upset.**

 **Flufflepuff: I'M the mean one? You just threw grenades at me!**

 **Ebony: xD Yes. That made me crack up. And he's totally failing at that. I keep poking fun at him with my siblings, like, if you don't want people to treat you like a child then stop... complaining 24/7 and stomping around and slamming doors if you don't get your way... smh lloyd...**

 **Nicktastic Productions: AHA SOMEONE GOT THE REFERENCE this made me laugh because my older sister is maining Leona supp and she keeps nagging me to play her too. xD I swear I'll play with you one of these days... stupid memory... and yeah, I can have someone call her a clod. xD You can apply at the Death Star, between 7 AM and 6 PM on weekdays. :V**

 **Samantha: I told him that, but he's insistent that he can do this. Well, maybe "idiotically stubborn" is a better word for it.**

 **LRFK:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

* * *

Chapter 48

"Has anyone seen Lloyd?" Jay asked, glancing out the window at the rising sun.

"Not since yesterday." Kei shrugged, taking another bite of bacon. It was morning, and the ninja and co. were seated around the breakfast table. Excluding Lloyd, who had yet to show up. "Must be sleeping in. Jess, you wanna go get him?"

"Sure." Pushing her chair back, the brunette stood and skipped off in the direction of the stairs. As he turned back to his plate, an uneasy feeling settled over the fire ninja. Was something wrong? Kai glanced around the room, but nothing seemed out of order. Maybe he was imagining things. Suddenly, loud footsteps came from the direction of the stairs, and Jessica skidded to a stop in the hallway in front of the dining room, her face panicked. She was alone.

"L-Loyd's…" she stuttered. "...g-gone!" With that, she burst into tears.

"What?!" Garmadon jumped to his feet. "What do you mean "gone"?! How?!"

"H-he's not in his bed…" Jessica sobbed. "…h-his ninja gi i-is gone..." Turning, Garmadon ran from the room, and Kai followed him.

"Cole, you were supposed to keep an eye on him!" he heard Jay snap loudly as the fire ninja followed Lloyd's father up the stairs.

"He must have run off while I was asleep!" the ghost ninja defended himself. "There was no way-" the rest of his sentence was lost as Kai ran out of range, and Garmadon stopped inside Lloyd's room. Sure enough, Lloyd was gone, and there was no sign of him but his discarded nightclothes on the floor.

"# $% it, Lloyd!" Garmadon shouted, startling the fire ninja. "I just got you back, and you only run again?!"

"You shouldn't swear." Jay piped up from the hallway. "It's a sign of weak verbal skills."

"Shut up, Jay." Cole muttered. The older man's shoulders slumped as he stared at Lloyd's empty bed.

"This is my fault, isn't it?"

"No, it's mine." Morro's voice came from behind them, and Kai turned to see him staring sadly at the window. "I-I made him angry, that's why he left…"

"It's none of your faults!" Indigo pushed past Cole and Jay, pulling a red-faced Jessica behind her. "Lloyd ran off! We don't have time to be moping about it! We need to find him! Think. Where would he go?"

"Maybe just to sulk somewhere?" Jay ventured. "Just to scare us?"

"Maybe, but…" Cole's eyes widened. "He was upset about not being able to fight! What if he's trying to prove himself?!"

"He can't be crazy enough to try to take them all on on his own…" Jay chuckled weakly. "…right?"

"He might…" Garmadon said quietly. "He's been acting strangely for weeks. Maybe he is going to try."

"Well, what do we do?!" Kai asked impatiently. "We can't just go to Chen's island, if it turns out that Lloyd _isn't_ there, we might lose one of us trying to attack. But, if we wait, he might get himself captured!"

"There is no right answer…" Sensei Garmadon said quietly. "I… don't know what to do." 'There is no right answer'. Kai buried his face in his hands. Lloyd, why?! Why did you have to put yourself in danger like this?! You know we're only trying to protect you…

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd landed his dragon in the center of Chen's courtyard, looking around for a moment before yelling,

"OVERLORD! CHEN! SOUL ARCHER! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! COME OUT AND FACE ME!" Silence. Then, Chen's voice rang out through the temples.

"Don't you think you should go home, little boy?" Chen's tone was mocking, and Lloyd gritted his teeth. "You might get hurt, now that daddy's not here to save you."

"Shut up." The blond boy snarled.

"Ooh, I'm scared." The former noodle tycoon taunted him. "Far too scared to come outside. Why don't you come in here?" It was very obviously a trap, but he could take anything they threw at him.

"Fine! I will!" Lloyd dismounted his dragon, stalking towards the temple directly in front of him. Ahead, the door opened of its own accord, and he walked inside. Instantly, the door slammed shut behind him, leaving him in pitch blackness. "I'm not afraid of you!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the room as he charged a ball of energy in his hand. For a moment, there was silence other than the crackling of golden energy. Then, out of nowhere, an axe swung at him from the ceiling. He ducked easily. "You'll need more than cheap tricks to take me down!" the blond boy yelled. "I know you're there, Chen! Come out and face me yourself!"

"You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you, child?" Lloyd whirled around to see Soul Archer, standing against the far wall as he casually twirled an arrow between his fingers.

"Coming to face us all at once? Did you really think that through?" Chen's voice came from behind him, and he turned around to see him standing next to the opposite wall.

"You couldn't even beat me alone." Lea's voice echoed through the room, and he turned again to see the black-haired girl watching him from a corner. "What makes you think you can beat all of us at once?"

"Power." Lloyd hissed. "I have the power to beat _any_ and _all_ of you."

"I'd like to see you try." Chen smirked. "Now!" Suddenly, the floor underneath him vanished, and he quickly spun into an Airjitzu tornado. He landed on solid ground, and was instantly tackled from behind by Lea. She was slashing at him with razor-sharp claws, he needed to get away before she tore him apart. Charging a ball of energy, he threw her across the room. A scream alerted him of the arrow streaking towards him, and he let it slam into another orb of energy. Jumping to his feet, he started running towards the ghost archer, only to have the floor rise underneath him. Chen was working the room like a puppet. He needed to take him out. But, first, he would kill Soul Archer. Jumping down from the rising floor, Lloyd charged a ball of energy and flung it at the ghost general, watching him dissipate into nothingness.

"RAAAAH!" Lea's yell was the only warning he got as she kicked his feet out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. Her hand was at his throat in an instant, gleaming claws pricking his skin as he started to struggle. "Move an inch and you're dead." She growled, making him freeze. She smirked, the tips of her claws digging into his flesh as he winced.

"Get off of me." He growled.

"I don't think so." She chuckled. Glancing up, she yelled, "He's-" But that was as far as she got, as he grabbed her wrist and flipped her over. She cried out in shock, which quickly turned into a growl. Lloyd rolled onto his front, jumping to his feet and landing in a defensive position. Almost instantly, his eyes widened in shock. Surrounding Lea were animals, glowing, ethereal animals. Was that part of her powers? He didn't have time to ponder it, as the Master of Animals pointed at him and the animals attacked. A blue tiger leapt at him, and he charged an orb of energy to fight it off. As soon as the animal touched it, though, it vanished. Huh. Lea growled, and he charged another orb in his other hand as the rest of them jumped on him. With a ball of energy in each hand, though, he destroyed the army in seconds, not even letting them touch him. "You just won't die." The black-haired girl hissed.

"Never." Lloyd smirked, then threw both orbs at her, sending her flying across the room again. She slammed into the wall and didn't move. Unconscious? Hopefully. Turning, he stalked back across the room towards Chen. The red-haired man looked undisturbed, smiling calmly at him.

"How about that weather, huh?" he said cheerfully as Lloyd stopped a foot in front of him. The blond boy took a step forward, grabbing him by the neck and shoving him into the wall behind him.

"Where's the Overlord?!" he demanded as Chen choked. "Tell me!" The older man seemed to be trying to make something out, so Lloyd loosened his grip.

"I-in your w-worst nightmares…" the former noodle tycoon began to laugh, and the blond boy growled under his breath before letting go of him and stepping back. He was probably getting ready to ambush him. It didn't matter. He took down these three, he could definitely take on the Overlord alone. Right? As he took another step back, he heard a door open on the other side of the room, and spun around to see the Overlord step inside.

"About time you got here." Lloyd stated, unable to keep a smirk off his face.

"Isn't it?" the Overlord looked just as confident as he was. He was still going down. There was no time for chatter. Summoning a ball of golden energy, he flung it across the room. The Overlord made no attempt to dodge, and it hit him squarely in the chest.

And did nothing.

"Surprised?" Overlord chuckled, starting to approach as Lloyd stepped back in shock. "You know how djinn wishes work, don't you?" The blond boy only stared at him, his eyes widening in shock and growing fear. "You get three wishes, to use for anything in the world. There are a few rules, but those don't apply here. Do you know what I wished for?" He had to run. He couldn't fight if his powers didn't work. "I wished for immunity to Golden Power… _permanently_." The dark lord let out a raspy laugh as Lloyd bolted for the door. "Where do you think you're going?" Before he could reach it, the doors slammed shut. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no. The blond boy backed up against the wall, eyes wide with terror as the Overlord approached. "You thought you could beat me, didn't you?" the creature of darkness laughed again. "Foolish child. You've only sealed your own fate." Grabbing him by the front of his gi, the Overlord slammed him back against the stone wall, making him cry out in pain. "Take a good look around, boy." The dark lord hissed. "This will be the last you ever see." Pulling him away again, Overlord slammed him into the wall again, over and over, until his body couldn't take it anymore and everything faded to black.

* * *

 **A prime example that Lloyd _can_ actually do useful things if he puts his mind to it (read: is idiotically stubborn).**

 **But now he's going to die.**

 **~FFF**


	49. Sorrow

**So like**

 **If I posted something about politics or whatnot, and you guys didn't agree with it, would you be like "welp, was a good run, but we can't talk anymore bc you have an opinion i don't agree with :) sorry sweaty"?**

 **someone did that to me on tumblr yesterday, and another friend of mine told me not to trust anyone or it would happen again. so i don't really know who to trust. other than my close friends on here like jayden and windy and oceangirl246. I know I can trust them. :v**

 **alright enough being edgy**

 **review replies:**

 **LRFK: alright... i think you've made your point... chill... xD samantha says you're being overexcited, and I agree.**

 **KRR: Oh, hi! Been a while since I've seen you. And, no worries, Lloyd will be... fine. :)**

 **Zena: Yep. Poor Garmy.**

 **Mikachu Writing: Nice prediction.**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: Yep! Thought it'd be fun to write Lloyd doing something useful for once instead of just being helpless and cute. Do you mean when he ran away from the monastery, or when he ran from the Overlord? Yeah, makes me wish I could watch it.** **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I've seen hype about it on tumblr, but haven't actually seen it.**

 **Windy: Glad you like it! :D He'll be fine. Probably. And yes. It made me crack up when I heard it, so I had to use it here. xD**

 **RainbowLizz: No problem. :) I... don't really know! xD I've always written scenes like that. If I figure it out, I'll let you know.**

 **Nicktastic Productions: Only as a supp. She's an adc main too, I'm a supp main. She usually plays Sivir or Jhin, but she occasionally plays Caitlyn because she goes well with my main, Sona. I'm pretty good at Morgana too, who is good with just about everyone, but not as good as I am with Sona. :v I really need S ranks so I can get mastery 7...**

 **Time to torture you guys some more**

* * *

Chapter 49

"I don't get it." Lloyd awoke to a rough kick to his side, and his eyes flew open as he gasped in pain. The foot rested on his back, pinning him to the ground and denying him movement, so he slumped onto the cold floor. Where was he? What happened? "Oh, now he's awake." The Overlord's voice. "You, go lock him up."

"Why?" Came Nadakhan's flat voice. "He's chained, and he can't move an inch. Even if he was free, he's probably in enough pain that he wouldn't _want_ to move." True. He ached all over, especially where he had just been kicked in the side. It hurt to breathe, he probably had broken ribs. He wanted to continue acting tough, but hehurt so much that didn't think he could manage it. So, slowly, he curled into himself on the cold floor as well as he could while being pinned down. He heard Chen snort.

"Pathetic child."

"Fine, leave him. But what are we going to do with him? If we can't infect him, what good is he?" What? They couldn't infect him? Why not?

"We could drain his power and then try." Soul Archer suggested. He was back. Great. Was it his golden power that was keeping the dark matter from affecting him? Huh.

"Maybe…" the Overlord muttered. "Or…" he trailed off, and the pressure on Lloyd's back increased. "We could just throw him into the sea."

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Kai had been hearing strange noises for the last half hour. They seemed to be coming from Lloyd's room, but every time he went in he saw nothing. Maybe he was going crazy. Finally, he stayed in there to see if he could find the source of the sound, and was there when Lloyd's cell phone rang. Picking it up, he grimaced as he recognized Chen's number. He needed to get the others. Running downstairs, the fire ninja rounded up the others, leading them to the dining room where they settled down to wait for Chen to call again. After about five minutes, Lloyd's ringtone sounded, startling them all. Hand shaking slightly, the fire ninja answered it, lifting the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Yes? Is this thing on? Oh, yes, it is." Chen muttered to himself. Pulling the phone away, Kai put it on speakerphone, holding it up so everyone could hear. "Ahem! About time someone answered! I've been calling for the last half-hour!"

"What do you want?" the red ninja asked flatly.

"Oh, yes! I called to negotiate the terms of your surrender."

"What?!" Kai demanded. "Out of the question."

"Oh? Even though you've lost your golden ninja?" Oh no. They did have him, then.

"What do you know about that?" the fire ninja fought to keep his voice even.

"Well, he did show up this morning. And, before you ask, no, he did not succeed in beating any of us up. At all. Actually, we beat him up. Yeah." Was Chen actually trying to fool them, or was he just being sarcastic?

"I see." The fire ninja smirked. "Anyway, as you were saying?"

"As I was saying, you're beaten. Without your golden ninja, you can do nothing against us."

"You wanna bet?"

"Sure. I bet Ninjago, how about you?" Kai gritted his teeth. Chen was right. The stakes were high.

"Ninjago isn't yours to bet." He said at last.

" _Yet_ , mr. fire ninja. It isn't mine _yet_." The red ninja was silent, and the former noodle tycoon continued. "So, how about that surrender?"

"No way. We go down fighting, or not at all."

"Oh well. I doubt you'll be able to do much without your golden ninja, though."

"Who says we'll have to?!" the fire master snapped. "We'll get Lloyd back, and take you down while we're at it."

"Ah, but I think you might have some trouble with that." The brunette could practically _hear_ the satisfied grin in his voice.

"And why is that?"

"Because we've already killed him." Kai heard the phone hit the table before he had even realized he'd dropped it. No. _No_. Lloyd couldn't be dead. He had to… "Did you drop the phone? Ha!" Chen's voice cut through the haze over his senses, and he noticed the others having reactions similar to his. "Don't worry, he didn't die a painful death… unless you count drowning as painful. Not sure, since I've never done it myself."

"Shut up!" the fire ninja yelled as his eyes began to sting.

"Suuuuure I will. Now, how about that surrender, huh?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Grabbing the phone, the brunette stood up, then hurled it across the room, watching it shatter as it hit the far wall. As it fell to the floor, Kai sank into his chair, face buried in his hands as tears streamed down his cheeks. It couldn't be true. Lloyd couldn't be dead. Lloyd was more than a best friend, he was… a brother. Inside, though, the red ninja knew he was in denial. No amount of insistence would change it. Lloyd was dead. Gone. For good.

* * *

 **Me: you guys are loyal right  
** **Me, 30 sec later: watch me kill off a major character**

 **~FFF**


	50. Mourning

**hi**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony: Well, if you remember from earlier, Chen got Lloyd's email off the internet and then asked him to send his phone number so he could call him to prove Morro was still alright. And yeah, Chen was pretty casual. He's absolutely sure he's won at this point. Kai was suspicious, and pretty nervous, especially after he knew for sure that they had Lloyd, so I wouldn't say it was really that casual a conversation. At least on his part.**

 **LuanaJulian:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **ShinyShiny: Thx for the advice.**

 **Mikachu Writing:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **SWMR:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) also np ;)**

 **Zena 1421:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **LRFK:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Nicktastic productions:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Windy:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I try not to hate either. Even people I REAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLYYYYY dislike (read: MayLovesAhkidah). I'm glad :)**

 **Ninjagirl8:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **cutecuddlyfriendlyfrosting:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Loverninjafanfic:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

* * *

Chapter 50

"I can't BELIEVE you!" Lloyd yelled, straining against his chains. It hurt to breathe, and even more so to talk, but he wouldn't let that stop him. "You told them I'm DEAD?! You're SICK!" Chen only laughed.

"What are you going to do about it, boy? Besides, it's strategy. If they think you're dead, they won't be making any attempts to rescue you. Though, I can't say it wasn't fun listening to their reactions." The red haired man chuckled as Lloyd growled under his breath. "You're so… angry. Such a pity you can't do anything about your predicament." Giving up on his chains, the blond boy slumped back against the wall he was chained to. Dad must be so upset. If he thought he had died last time he had been captured, he must be sure of it now.

"Well, why haven't you killed me? I'm no good to you if you can't infect me, am I?" he asked flatly.

"Oh, but there are so many other interesting things we could do to you! An infinite supply of golden power? Think of the possibilities! And, of course, the method of taking it will entertain the Overlord for quite some time." Chen laughed again as the blond boy's face paled. "You should consider yourself lucky. Once he's gotten bored of this, he'll move onto stronger forms of torture."

"Well, neither one is very appealing." Lloyd muttered. "Would it kill you to just leave me alone?"

"Me? I could probably stash you in a dungeon and let you starve to death. But the Overlord… he's enjoying this. He won't kill you, or forget about you, until he's finished making you suffer." The green ninja shuddered. What had he been thinking, trying to fight them all at once? He had hated being locked up in the Monastery, but this was much, much worse.

"You're sick." He said at last. "And so is he."

"Put yourself in our shoes. If you had your greatest enemy at your mercy, wouldn't you want them to suffer?"

"No."

"Be honest."

"I _am_. You know why Morro is my friend now? Because I gave him a second chance. If I had attacked him or locked him up, we would still be enemies."

"But you wouldn't be locked up in here."

"Huh?" Lloyd frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"If you hadn't known your father was alive, you wouldn't have come to the Cursed Realm to free him, and would never have ended up freeing me. And, since _I_ was the one who brought Soul Archer and the Overlord together, I'm the only reason we ended up capturing you." The blond boy was silent for a few moments before saying,

"It was worth it."

"Whatever." Chen turned away, stepping out of the cell and closing the door behind him. "Nadakhan will be along shortly to pick you up for your first round of 'experiments'." With that, the red-haired man walked away. Nadakhan. He had one wish left. Could he use it to get out of here? Probably not. He didn't have the strength to make a foolproof wish, and then he would have wasted it. But… maybe he could contact them somehow. Would Nadakhan let him do that? He would only know if he tried. Closing his eyes, Lloyd slumped back against the wall. Maybe he could get some sleep before they tortured him again.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"He's not dead." Jay said stubbornly. "You know we can't trust Chen. We can't. He isn't dead."

"He didn't sound like he was lying..." Cole muttered dejectedly.

"He's good at lying! He fooled all the elemental masters, remember?" the blue ninja's voice shook, but he stubbornly refused to acknowledge the obvious: Lloyd was dead. They were all taking it hard, but Jay was the only one who outright refused to believe it. Jessica had run off, crying, not long after Kai had thrown the phone and broken it, and Indigo had run after her, probably to try and comfort her. Morro was just sitting against the wall, his knees pulled up to his chest as he stared blankly into space. Cole wasn't sure what was going on inside his head. Even Victoria seemed devastated by the news of his death. She cared about him after all. But, by far, Lloyd's family was taking it the hardest. Especially Garmadon. Lloyd's father had fled the room moments after Chen had dropped the bomb of Lloyd's death, Misako and Gin quickly following, and he hadn't been seen since. Cole hoped he was alright. Well, he clearly wasn't. He had seen his son die _twice_ in the last month. Cole hoped he would recover. He hoped all of them would. Honestly, Morro was the only one who looked like he was completely unaffected. Which was odd, because he was- because he _had been_ really close with Lloyd. Maybe he should ask him about it. Slowly, the black ninja stood up, walking the five feet over to the wind master and kneeling next to him.

"Hey, are you okay?" the earth ninja asked. For a few moments, Morro was unresponsive. Finally, he shook his head. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Cole asked, sitting down next to him. The ex-villain closed his eyes, and was silent for a long time before whispering,

"I killed him."

"What?"

"I killed him. I made him angry, that's why he left, and now h-he's dead…" Morro buried his face in his knees as he began to shake, and Cole put a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't kill him. It's not your fault." The wind master didn't answer. "Lloyd left on his own. And it was Chen – or the Overlord – who killed him. You might have made him angry, but he was already upset that he couldn't fight. I don't know what you did that you think made him mad, but I know that Lloyd would have gone anyway. It's not your fault." Morro was silent for a moment, then, without warning, he broke down into sobs.

"I m-miss him s-so m-much… he choked out through his sobs. Cole was startled. He had never seen Morro cry before. He didn't know what to do, other than leave his hand on the wind elemental's shoulder as he cried into his knees. He looked so devastated, so heartbroken, that the black ninja wanted to cry too. Looking up, Cole sent out a silent prayer, a question. How, mentally or physically, were they going to survive without Lloyd?

* * *

 **Let's just take a moment to assess Morro's mental state.**

 **He's absolutely _devestated._ He's really attatched to Lloyd. Not only is he his best friend, but he's also his main source of comfort. So he's sitting there, crying, and for a fleeting second he thinks "I wish Lloyd were here so he could comfort me" and then he remembers "Wait, that's the reason I'm crying, he's dead." And that just makes him so much more upset.**

 **I don't know if anyone else does that, but I know I do.**

 **Plus he thinks it's his fault.**

 **Anyway hope you liked this!**

 **~FFF**


	51. Contact

**Happy Thanksgiving, readers who celebrate it! Today you can be thankful that I'm not making you think I'm killing a major character or destroying someone's mental state.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony: Nah, it's fine. I have bad memory too, and that was like 30-40 chapters ago.**

 **SWMR:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Samantha: I feel you. And yes, I do.** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Windy:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Mikachu Writing: Probably lots of crying and hugging.**

 **KRR: It's fine. I'm sorry you're having a hard time at school, and I hope it'll get better for you. And yeah, poor, poor LRFK. :D**

 **LuanaJulien:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I think you'll enjoy this chapter more.**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: Flowey clone? At this point, it wouldn't surprise me.** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **LRFK: I feel sorry for you. :)**

 **Ninjagirl8: Better than being dead, but, yeah. Poor child.**

 **RainbowLizz: No spoiler ;) Actually, yeah. I have a bunch of hurt/comfort/fluff stories I have written on my kindle that I read over and over again when I'm upset. It works very well.**

 **KDucky11: Thanks! I really do enjoy writing OCs, though. The main reason I write is to entertain (really, I love making people happy), and writing people's OCs in is a great way to do that. Besides, it's a lot of fun exploring all the personalities OCs have. Again, thank you. :)**

 **Flufflepuff: So I am.** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) And I copied it off an emoji website.**

* * *

Chapter 51

If he couldn't get close to Nadakhan, his plan wasn't going to work.

It had been three or four days since Lloyd had first been captured, and he hadn't been left alone with Nadakhan once. Ghoultar, who was still infected, was the one bringing him back and forth from his cell, as Nadakhan was busy bringing the canisters of golden energy to wherever they were keeping it when they were finished draining him. They had tried to infect him with dark matter once more, but it hadn't worked. Apparently they had infected him after draining him, which had worked for a little while, but once he had charged up more power he had changed back. Not only were they draining his power, though, but they manhandled him at every opportunity, kicking him, hitting him, and doing whatever they could to keep him too weak to escape. And it was working. He was no stronger than when he had first woken up here. Eventually, he had to come up with a new plan. After what was probably the seventh time they had drained him in the last few days. He woke up to Chen and the Overlord arguing- as usual. Maybe if Nadakhan wouldn't help him he could try to turn them against each other. As Ghoultar came towards him, the blond boy summoned a spark of energy in his hand. Good. He was still strong enough. He didn't make his move yet, though. He needed to wait until they were far away from the Overlord, or it would all be a waste. After the tall ghost slung him over his shoulder, he waited, watching the stairways and turns they took to measure how close they were to his cell. Once they were close, Lloyd summoned another spark of energy and touched it to Ghoultar's grey skin. He was then promptly dropped on his head.

"Ow…" Lloyd muttered as his head spun. That hurt.

"Where is Ghoultar?!" he heard the scythe master bellow, startling him. A moment later, " _You!_ " Lloyd opened his eyes to see the ghost lift his weapon, about to attack.

"I don't want to fight you!" the blond boy exclaimed, covering his head with his hands instinctively. Maybe this was a bad idea. He hadn't thought about the fact that Ghoultar might attack him. After a few moments, the blow hadn't come, and he peeked out from under his hands to see Ghoultar staring at him curiously.

"Green ninja is… hurt?" He almost sounded compassionate. Under the stupidity and evilness, maybe he wasn't that bad. "Did Ghoultar hurt you?"

"N-no, it wasn't you." Lloyd shook his head. "It was the Overlord."

"Ghoultar does not like Overlord."

"Neither do I." Lloyd chuckled weakly. His plan had been to get them to send Nadakhan to put him in his cell, since the Overlord had lost control of Ghoultar, but… maybe the ghost could help him. "C-can you…" he started, but never finished as Nadakhan appeared in a puff of smoke. Well then.

"You." He commanded Ghoultar. "Go back upstairs. Soul Archer wants you."

"Ghoultar does not know the way." The masked ghost shrugged.

"Fine. Then I'll lead you back in a minute." Reaching down, Nadakhan grabbed Lloyd's wrist, teleporting them into his cell. As he started to let go, though, Lloyd spoke up.

"D-don't leave! I still have one more wish." Nadakhan paused, then stared at him suspiciously.

"I am not supposed to talk to you."

"Please." The blond boy begged. "My family thinks I'm dead. I have to-" his voice cracked and he swallowed. "I have to tell them I'm alright." The djinn sighed.

"Fine. Make your wish."

"Um… if I wished that you would go and tell them I'm alive, would you twist it?"

"No. But, do you think they would believe me?"

"Good point. If… if I wished myself back at the Monastery, would you twist it?"

"Yes." Lloyd's heart sank.

"Why?"

"I cannot betray the Overlord so overtly."

"Why not?"

"Because he has my father!" the four-armed man snapped. Lloyd stared at him in shock. "I… at first, I joined the Overlord for the promise of power and glory. But, after I helped you and your friend escape, the Overlord began to suspect I would betray him and captured my father from my home realm. They will only release him if we win."

"Oh…" the green ninja whispered. He would never have guessed that Nadakhan was a pawn too. He thought he was as evil as the rest of them, as least until he had helped them escape.

"Hurry up and make your wish." The djinn muttered, turning away. "They will suspect if I am gone for too long."

"Uh… what if I wished for a phone?"

"I would not twist that."

"Then I wish for a phone." A smartphone appeared in a puff of orange smoke, dropping into his lap. "Thanks."

"I must get back to my post." With that, Nadakhan vanished. Scooping up the phone, Lloyd turned it on, then dialed Kai's number with numb fingers. He could only pray they hadn't already given up.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Kai lay on his bed in his room, staring blankly up at the ceiling. It was the fourth day since they had learned Lloyd was dead, and he didn't feel better in the least. He didn't feel as overwhelmed with grief as he had when he had first heard the news, but he still felt like a chunk of his heart had been ripped out. Most of the time, anyway. Right now, all he felt was numbness. Horrible, consuming numbness. On the floor next to his bed, his phone buzzed, and he for a few moments he ignored it. Finally, he rolled over, leaning off the side of his bed to pick it up. Unfortunately, he failed to regain his balance, and ended up falling off his bed. Whatever. Rolling onto his back again, he looked at the screen. 'Caller unknown'. Probably some random fangirl trying to catch his eye. Still, something compelled him to answer it, so he did.

"Hey." He said emotionlessly.

"Kai?" Kai sat up straight in an instant, his mouth dropping open at the familiar voice.

" _Lloyd?!_ "

"Uh, hey." On the other end, Lloyd chuckled breathlessly.

"How- how are you _alive_?!" Was he _dreaming?_ God, please don't let this be a dream. "You were _dead!_ "

"I know, Chen told me he told you that. But he lied. I'm fine. Well, fine as someone can be while locked up in a dungeon being tortured."

"You're alive." Was all Kai could say, a stupid grin spreading over his face.

"Did you miss me?"

"Are you _kidding?!_ I _cried_ when Chen told me you were dead."

"Oh." He sounded shocked.

"Oh man, I've gotta tell the others. Everyone's been so upset." The fire ninja ran a hand through his hair, still grinning like an idiot. "Wait, why'd you run off in the first place?" Silence.

"…I…"

"You know what, I don't even care. Where are you? Are you okay?"

"In Chen's dungeon, and, no, not really. It's hard enough just talking to you; my chest hurts so much when I talk. I'm pretty badly hurt, and they're not letting me rest enough to heal."

"Then I should leave you be. But you're _alive!_ "

"I know." Lloyd laughed again, but he sounded even weaker. "I-I should go. If they catch me talking to you…"

"Yeah. Wait, how do you have a phone?"

"Wished for it."

"Nadakhan?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Try your best to keep it hidden, so we can talk again. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Don't worry. We'll get you out of there. Man, I'm so glad you're alive."

"You mentioned that."

"Sorry."

"No, I don't mind."

"Alright. Bye then." Kai started to hang up, but stopped at a shout from Lloyd.

"Wait! Tell Morro I'm sorry for yelling at him." What? Whatever, it wasn't his business.

"Of course."

"Okay. Bye, Kai." With that, Lloyd hung up. Jumping to his feet, the brunette slipped his phone out of his pocket before running out of his room and down the stairs. Lloyd was _alive_.

Thank you, God.

* * *

 **Idk about you guys, but Ghoultar always struck me as the kind of guy who, if he wasn't being evil and stuff, would like things like sitting in a meadow and playing with bunnies.**

 **~FFF**

 **P.S. Pssst, go read Zena 1421's stuff. She's an amazing author who deserves more reviews than she gets.**


	52. Misunderstandings

**My stuff appears to be getting steadily more emotional on a regular basis.**

 **I blame Zena for this.**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK: Well, why not? Nothing else to do while locked in a dark cell, might as well get a smartphone. Now, if it were Kai, he would be taking selfies and uploading them to the internet with the caption, "locked up in jail but still hot -3-", but lloyd's probably going to end up just sleeping.**

 **Ebony: Yeah. Poor guy. He's evil, but he acts like a little kid sometimes. And everyone will know by the end of this chapter. :v**

 **Mikachu: Exactly.**

 **ninjachief: xD Glad you're enjoying this. My reaction was like that when I watch DotD for the first time. Thanks so much! :D**

 **Ninjagirl8: "if it goes like that"**

 **Zena: No problem! :D**

 **For the record, this chapter is kinda filler since it's basically just people reacting to Lloyd not being dead. Sorry not sorry LRFK.**

 **(also I managed to forget Jessica while writing this and she doesn't show up haha sorry)**

* * *

Chapter 52

"WOO! I KNEW IT!" Jay cheered, jumping up in the air and catching the attention of the others nearby.

"Huh?" Cole sat up from where he had been lying on the couch. "What are you so worked up about?"

"LLOYD'S ALIVE!" the blue ninja yelled, jumping up in the air again.

" _What?!_ " Sensei demanded as everyone else responded with similar sounds of disbelief. "How?"

"Chen didn't kill him! He called me!" Kai answered, holding up his phone from where he stood behind Jay. "He's trapped in Chen's dungeon, but he's alive!"

"Kai, are you sure?" Zane frowned. "Chen confirmed that Lloyd is dead. And how could he call you? He didn't bring his phone, we know because you threw it against the wall."

"He managed to get it by using his last wish with Nadakhan. Come on, guys, don't you believe me?" Cole and Zane exchanged glances. "Ugh, fine. I'll call him again." Unlocking his phone, Kai dialed Lloyd's makeshift number, lifting it to his ear as it rang. After one ring, Lloyd answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey. The others don't believe you're alive."

"Don't they trust you?"

"Apparently not." The red ninja put the phone on speakerphone, holding it up. "Say hi!"

"Hi!" Came Lloyd's voice from the phone. Instantly, the others' faces lit up.

"Lloyd!" Jay cheered. "I knew you weren't dead!"

"Chen lied?" Zane managed, dumbfounded.

"Is that really that much of a surprise?" Lloyd chuckled.

"Well- well no, but, I detected no traces of dishonesty in his voice."

"He's a good liar."

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Jay yelled.

"Plus, he was on the phone, so it's hard to tell. Are Dad and Morro here?"

"No, I don't know where they-" Kai started, but Wu cut in.

"Morro is in his room with Indigo, and Garmadon is down by the stream."

"Oh. They're really upset about me, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Alright, I'm heading upstairs." Lowering the phone, Kai turned and run upstairs. "Wait, which one is Morro's room?"

"Um… when you get to the top of the stairs, turn left, and it's the second door on the left."

"Right." Kai stopped himself from bursting in just in time, remembering to knock, and rapped quickly on the door. No answer. Okay, guess he could go in. Pushing the door open and stepping inside, the fire ninja stopped short at the sight of Morro and Indigo, curled up in their sleep as they lay on Morro's bed. "Aww. That's sweet."

"What is?"

"Morro and Indigo are asleep. Should I wake them up?"  
"Um… yeah."

"Alright." Walking over, Kai tried to touch Morro, but his hand went through him. "Uh, I can't touch them."

"Right. Maybe make enough noise that they wake up?"

"Oh, I can do that." Kai took a deep breath, then yelled, "MORRO! INDIGO! LLOYD'S NOT DEAD!" Both of them awoke with a start, and Indigo hissed at him.

"What was that for?!" She snapped, swiping at him. Morro, however, had gone still.

"What did you say?" He asked, sounding… hopeful.

"He said I'm not dead." Lloyd's voice came from the phone. "Hey guys." Indigo's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth before letting out a muffle shriek. Morro didn't react for a couple seconds, but, when he did, he practically snatched the phone out of Kai's hand.

"Lloyd! You're okay! How are you okay?" Lloyd chuckled at his eagerness.

"Chen didn't kill me. He lied so no one would come and rescue me."

"Rescue you? Where are you?"

"Chen's dungeon. Please get me out of here soon. Chen says the Overlord will hurt me a lot more once he gets tired of just draining my power." The blond boy's voice had a note of desperation in it, and Kai felt a pang of fear go through him.

"Of course we will. Don't worry. If I can, I'll leave tonight."

"Don't go alone. That doesn't work, trust me." Lloyd chuckled weakly. "Oh, and, Morro? I'm really sorry for yelling at you like I did. You didn't do anything wrong, I just lashed out at you because I was angry. I'm really sorry."

"It's fine. I forgive you." Though he brushed it off, Morro's voice betrayed that he was very relieved.

"Nothing happened since I've been captured, right? The Overlord hasn't attacked?"

"He hasn't."

"Good. I-" Lloyd stopped short. "Oh no."

"What is it?"

"Someone's coming. I need to go." With that, the green ninja hung up. Morro let out a shaky breath.

"He's alive." The ghost boy said wonderingly.

"Yep." Kai took his phone back as Indigo hugged her boyfriend tight. "I'm going to go tell Garmadon. Turning around, Kai left the room, heading downstairs and towards the stream.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Sensei G!" Garmadon looked up from the swirling waters in front of him at the sound of his name. Well, the nickname that the ninja sometimes used for him. Who was there? "Sensei G!" Kai was running down the hill towards him, a wide grin on his face. What was he so happy about?

"What is it?" Garmadon asked, looking back at the stream as he tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Lloyd's alive." _What?!_ The grey-haired man whirled around, staring at the red ninja in shock. Kai looked ecstatic, his already-huge grin growing wider.

"What?!" he demanded at last. "That's impossible!"

"Chen lied. Lloyd called me. I talked to him, and so did everyone else! He said the Overlord was coming to drain his power again, though, so he had to hang up and can't talk to you. But he's alive!" Garmadon stared at him wordlessly, his mind struggling to keep up. Lloyd was… alive? Could that be possible?

"R-really?" the Sensei stuttered, his voice cracking even as it filled with hope.

"Really." Kai replied, obviously as happy as he was. "He's kinda locked in a dungeon, though, and we need to break him out. So, come inside when you get a chance so we can make a plan." With that, the fire ninja turned around, running back up the hill towards the Monastery. Turning back to the stream, Garmadon was surprised to feel a tear running down his face. He had done a lot of crying the past few days, but none of that was from joy. Slowly, a smile spread over his face as more tears flowed down his cheeks. He hadn't failed. Lloyd was _alive_.

His son was alive.

* * *

 **So, recently I was thinking. In the first book, Indigo suffered. In this book, Lloyd is suffering. Who's gonna get to to suffer next book? hint: it's morro**

 **anyway I lowkey want more romance between morro and indigo but I still feel uncomfortable about it**

 **With any luck, I'll have another chapter out by the end of today. But probably not.**

 **~FFF**


	53. Reunited again

**This chapter was co-written by Zena 1421! Like, we were literally typing at the same time in the same document, and that got confusing... but yeah. It's also the only chapter of this story so far _not_ written on paper first!**

 **And we got 2 out in one day, so I hope you're proud of us. :v**

 **Review replies:**

 **Zena: Glad you enjoyed it ;)**

 **KRR: xD Yep. We should lock Kai in jail with a smartphone and try it. :D Well, the Overlord kinda made himself immune to golden power... so... she said "Bah humbug". Not as bad as usual. :)**

 **Ninjagirl8: Aww, thank you! That means a lot to me!** ❤︎ **And yep, I have another book planned after this. These two are the first two in a trilogy.**

 **LRFK: _BAH HUMBUG_**

 **Ebony: About time, isn't it? xD I've gotta keep things intresting, don't I?**

 **Windy: I can't make her reaction now, but... maybe I'll write it and send it to you in an email. :) I'm glad you think so! I love them so much and I really want to make them a bigger part of the story but I just feel really bad about it for some reason... And yep! There's gonna be a third one! No worries, we can be sadists together. ;)**

 **DraconisWinters: I did, actually. I was wondering where you went. I know you asked me to read your story a while ago, but I just keep forgetting... I'll write it down, and I'll try to do it when I get a chance. I'm glad I'm making you smile! ^u^**

* * *

Chapter 53

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Abigail asked dully, sliding a backpack onto her shoulders.

"Without Lloyd, we can't do anything." Garmadon replied. He was both eager and determined to get on their way. "So, yes, it is."

"I wish I could go." Jessica muttered. "Why can't we just bust in and beat the living daylights outta them? Lloyd almost beat them on his own."

"We don't know what to expect. And one of us might get hurt. You can't come because you're not stealthy enough." Morro replied quietly.

"Neither is Garmadon!"

"But he's completely invincible. Remember?"

"Oh. True, I guess." The brunette sighed, folding her arms. "Whatever. You better bring him back soon, though."

"We'll do our bessst." Ni shrugged. "Letsss go. If we leave now, we'll arrive jussst before nightfall."

"Right." Abigail sighed. "I still think this is a bad idea."

"What are you so worried about? You have time powers." Jessica pointed out.

"It's not like I can just go back in time if something goes wrong. That would mess things up."

"Yeah, but you can teleport."

"True, but still. Something could still go wrong. Not just to me, but to one of the others."

"Morro's a ghost, Ni's a shadeling, and Garmadon's invincible." The daredevil shrugged. "They'll be fine."

"They better be." The redhead shook her head. "Let's go." With that, the four walked outside and into the courtyard, Jessica trailing behind them. Morro, Garmadon, and Abigail summoned their dragons, and Ni climbed on the back of Garmadon's so she wouldn't have to fly the whole way. After a moment, they took off, flying towards the coast as the sun sank towards the horizon.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Morro stepped through a wall, looking back and forth for danger before continuing down the hallway. Where was that door? After a moment, he found it, unlocking it and opening it wide.

"Be careful." The ghost warned the other three, who stepped through silently. "There are ghosts posted at some of the intersections. And I saw Nadakhan."

"Where?" Garmadon asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Checking in with one of the guards. I think he's patrolling the dungeon."

"Do you have any idea where Lloyd is?" Abigail whispered, glancing back and forth.

"No. We might have to split up. But we should meet back here eventually."

"We should ssstay in pairsss." Ni hissed. "It'sss dangerousss to go alone."

"Right. Ni, come with me. We'll go right, Garmadon and Abby can go left. In an hour, we'll meet back here."

"Who put you in charge?" The time mistress muttered, but obeyed. Lloyd's father went first, turning to the left and heading down the passage with Abby following behind him. In turn, Morro turned to the right, creeping down the hallway with Ni at his heels. For about ten minutes, nothing happened, the only sounds being the occasional footstep of theirs' that was loud enough to hear. Finally, as the wind master turned a corner, he almost crashed right into a guard standing a foot in front of him with his back to him. Jerking back, Morro stepped back around into the darkness, pushing Ni back with him. He let her look, then pulled her back to a safe distance.

"We'll need to distract him." he whispered. "We can't get past without him seeing us, and I don't think we can knock him out before he raises the alarm. Besides, even if we could, he might wake up and alert the others before we can get out with Lloyd." Ni nodded.

"I'll dissstract him. They can't catch me."

"Thank you." The ghost smiled briefly before stepping into a wall so it hid most of him. It would've been handy for him to learn how to turn invisible. Too bad he had never gotten around to that. As he watched, Ni jumped up to the ceiling, using her claws to hold on to the grooves between the stones before scurrying towards the light around the corner. A moment later, Morro heard a surprised shout, and the guard's footsteps running away. After waiting a few moments, the ghost boy continued down the passage. He wanted to call out, maybe Lloyd would hear him, but that wouldn't be a wise idea, as it would alert the guards to come. So he kept going, being as quiet as he could. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he heard crying.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd sniffled, rubbing his eyes with his sleeves as he tried to stop crying. He was scared. By the way he had heard Chen and the Overlord talking, they were getting ready to actually torture him. If the others didn't get here within the next hour…

"Lloyd!" The whispered call startled him into silence, and he blinked in shock.

"Morro?" he whispered back.

"I'm here." The ghost's face appeared in the window of his door before phasing through the wood, running over next to him and kneeling down.

"Thanks…" Lloyd whispered, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to stop the tears from falling.

"Why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

"N-no, just scared." the blond boy shook his head. "Th-the Overlord…"

"Shh, we'll get you out of here." Morro reached down, taking ahold of his shackles. "I can't get these off, but Ni might be able to."

"Sh-she's here too?"

"Yeah, and so are your father and Abigail."

"Where are they?"

"Trying to look for you. We're supposed to meet back at the exit in about…" the ghost boy paused. "...half an hour, now. But I can't get you out of here on my own."

"Oh…" Lloyd felt tears well up in his eyes again, and Morro lifted him into his arms, hugging him tight.

"...I can't believe you're alive…" the wind master mumbled into his shoulder.

"I'm glad you came…" Morro hugged him for a long time. Was he…shaking? "Are you crying?" Lloyd whispered.

"No." The ghost sounded unconvincing. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought I was dead too."

"I'm willing to bet I care more."

"You probably do." Lloyd smiled, wiping the tears away with his sleeve. "But…if the Overlord comes back before the others find us…then they'll capture you too."

"I can fight them off."

"The cell's made of Vengestone!"

"So? I can just walk out."

"True." The blond boy sighed, snuggling into his best friend's grasp. "I missed you guys."

"We missed you too." Morro murmured.

"There you two are." Lloyd jumped at Ni's voice, and they both looked up to see her standing outside the cell.

"You got away?" The wind master asked.

"Obviousssly." The shadeling queen rolled her eyes.

"Can you open the door?"

"Of courssse I can. Give me a sssecond." Bending down, Ni began to fiddle with the lock. After a moment, the door clicked and swung open. "Sssee?"

"I never said I doubted you." Morro shrugged. "Lloyd needs these chains off too."

"Right." The creature of darkness knelt beside them, poking a claw into the keyhole of Lloyd's shackles and twisting it slightly. Soon, those popped off as well.

"Okay, let's go back. What are we waiting for?" Morro picked Lloyd up, the three of them heading back to the exit as quietly as possible. Once they arrived, the ghost gently put him down.

"Where's Dad?" the blond boy whispered.

"He must not be here yet." the ghost whispered back. "We're a little early, He'll be here in a minute." Lloyd nodded, but he felt nervous. What if something had happened? He knew Dad couldn't get hurt, but he could still be captured, and maybe infected. That would be really bad… Suddenly, he heard footsteps. They were coming this way! As he watched, Abigail ran around the corner, quickly followed by none other than his father.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"It-It can't be you, Lloyd…! Oh!" As soon as Garmadon made eye contact with his son, he ran over, collapsing to his knees and instantly pulling him close. Morro backed away, getting up to give the son and father some space. Tears of relief quickly began to accumulate in Sensei Garmadon's eyes. Abigail and the others stood and watched as the scene began to unfold in front of them. "Son, I just...I just don't even know what to say to you right now…" Lloyd's father expressed softly, yet angrily. "I tried to tell you to not go, but you still went. Even worse, I thought you had actually died. Literally. I'm still upset with you..."

"Father..." Lloyd started, trailing off for a moment. "I'm so sorry! When I got captured, I knew...for once that you were right! I never should've left! I wish I'd listened to you..." He winced in pain from the way his father was squeezing him. "Ow..."

"Sorry…" Garmadon took a deep breath and sighed. What was he even thinking? He shouldn't be mad at him. They were finally together and it was all that really should matter now. His voice became gentler. "It's alright now… I forgive you. Oh...Lloyd Montgomery…I'm so relieved… I'm glad you're alright… I've missed you very, very much…"

Lloyd began crying into his father's arms, who, in return, pulled him even closer. "I've missed you too." he said softly.

"Shh… You'll be fine; I'll be right here," Lloyd's father replied. "Forever and always. I love you so, so much." He began to look around cautiously, then turned his head back to his son. "Come on. We really should leave. We have a long journey ahead. Soon, they'll be after us, Lloyd. When it's time to come back to their base, though, I'm definitely coming with you. I don't want to risk losing you for real. Let's go. I'll carry you back."

"Alright."

Garmadon got up, carrying his son bridal style. They went back the way they came, managing to bypass the remaining guards. They arrived outside, got on the dragons, and began the long journey back to the monastery.

Together.

* * *

 ***throws the fluff at you and runs off laughing hysterically***

 **If you haven't already checked out the rest of Zena's stuff, go do it.**

 **Do it now.**

 **ಠ_ಠ**

 **~FFF**


	54. Home

**Remember the last book**

 **that was 54 chapters long**

 **:)**

 **also I think my typing skills are getting better (as in faster)**

 **Review replies:**

 **Zena: I should hope so, since you wrote a fair amount of it.**

 **LRFK: Sorry. :)**

 **SWMR: That's something we have in common. :D  
**

 **Rainbowlizz: Precisely.**

 **Ninjachief: I wanna read your fanfiction. ;-; Dang. You could try following the story again? Maybe it glitched out. And thank you! ^u^**

 **Samantha: Of course I wouldn't leave him there. I'm cruel, but I'm not THAT cruel. :) And I got a review telling me that I was breaking some rules... so I'm trying to find a way to continue without breaking those...**

 **Windy: Been a while since I've seen that word. xD I'm glad you liked it! ^u^**

 **TheAmberShadow: It's fine. And wishing for a smartphone is pretty funny, haha.**

 **Ninjagirl8: Yep! c: Thank you!**

 **Ebony: It's possible. ;)**

 **Nicktastic: Oops. Did I smother you?**

 **I might have missed someone because I somehow messed up the formatting of my replies... if I did, sorry!**

* * *

Chapter 54

Lloyd spent most of the flight home fast asleep, sitting in front of his father on his dragon. He was bruised and scratched, and by the way his chest was hurting he probably had broken ribs, but he was safe, so he slept well. He was awake, though, by the time they arrived at the Monastery at about five in the morning. To his surprise, he saw the front door burst open, revealing Jessica running down the path towards him.

"LLOYD!" she squealed excitedly, stopping next to his father's dragon. "You're okay! I missed you!" she continued, a huge smile on her face.

"I missed you too." The blond boy said, returning her smile as Dad lifted him down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the brunette dashed over, hugging him tight. "Careful!" He gasped, wincing as a bolt of pain went through him from his broken ribs.

"Sorry." She apologized, loosening her grip. He knelt in front of her, both because he could barely stand and because she was must shorter than him, before hugging her back and resting his head on her shoulder.

"Why'd you run off like that, dummy?" She asked after a minute, pulling away a bit and frowning down at him. "You could have _actually_ gotten killed."

"I know. I'm sorry." Lloyd sighed, staring down at the ground so she couldn't meet his eyes. "I was so tired of being stuck here, I went and did something stupid to try and prove myself. Obviously, I failed. I'm not running off again, no matter how long I'm stuck here. The Overlord's dungeon is a way worse place to be trapped than here." He smiled faintly, looking up at her again. She was smiling now.

"Alright, I forgive you. As long as you don't do anything stupid like that again." She said, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelped, jerking back. "Careful!"

"If you say so, greenie." She replied with a grin.

"Why are you up so early, anyway?" the green ninja asked, looking up at the star-speckled shy.

"Couldn't sleep. I was worried about you." She shrugged. "Besides, I didn't want to miss you getting home."

"Is anyone else up?"

"Your mom and Gin were staying up with me, but they fell asleep. C'mon." The daredevil tried to tug him to his feet, but he shook his head.

"I can't walk." He explained.

"Here." Dad bent down next to him, scooping him up and leaning him against his chest. "When's the wedding?" he whispered as Jessica shrugged and turned to walk back towards the monastery.

"You be quiet." The blond boy retorted, unable to stop a blush from spreading over his face. Once they got inside, Lloyd's father lowered him in a plush chair before stepping across to the adjacent couch where Mom and Gin were sleeping.

"Misako, Gin, wake up." He said softly, shaking his wife and daughter gently. After a moment, Mom's eyes fluttered, then opened all the way.

"Lloyd?" She gasped, her eyes instantly focusing on him as she sat up.

"Hey, Mom." He smiled. The grey-haired woman jumped up from the couch, running over and hugging him tight. He hugged her back just as tight, ignoring the slight pain in his chest. "I'm sorry for running off." He mumbled into her shoulder.

"I forgive you. I'm just glad you're back." She squeezed him a little tighter and he winced.

"Ow. Broken ribs."

"Sorry." She let go of him, smiling as she stepped aside. Behind her was Gin, whose arms were folded as she glared down at him. He grimaced.

"You're going to chew me out now, aren't you?"

"Yep." She replied simply. "Why did you run off? That was irresponsible and selfish." Lloyd looked at the floor.

"I know. I was angry."

"That you couldn't throw your life away in a fight?"

"Gin-" Dad tried to break in, but Lloyd stopped him.

"No, Dad, let her. Gin, I know that was stupid of me, and I'm really sorry. I won't do it again." His sister glared at him for a few moments before sighing and uncrossing her arms.

"Alright. I forgive you." Bending down, the brunette gave him a hug as well. "I assume you want to rest now?"

"Yeah. But I have at least some broken ribs, and I think one of my legs Is broken too."

"Right. Mom and I can set it. Dad, can you carry him?"

"Of course." His father picked him up again, following Misako and Gin as they lead him to the 'hospital' of sorts where they kept their medical supplies. The next hour passed in a blur, as he was tired enough that he almost drifted off to sleep twice. Finally, as his mother wrapped his leg in a stiff bandage, he dropped completely off to sleep.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Escaped?" The Overlord asked quietly. Chen shifted from one foot to the other.

"Yes." He replied after a moment. "He was broken out by his friends late last night. They outwitted the guards and picked the locks." The dark lord was silent, and Chen and Soul Archer exchanged nervous glances.

"Infect them all." Overlord said at last.

"What?" Chen raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"The ghosts. Infect them all."

"…why?" Soul Archer asked with a frown.

"Are you questioning me?!" The creature of darkness snapped.

"I- yes." The ghost archer narrowed his eyes. "Why not? You don't control me."

"Not yet."

"What? AaaaAAAGH!" Chen whirled around to see the ghost enveloped in purple smoke, and quickly backed away. When it cleared, Soul Archer's skin was a sickly grey, his purple eyes glowing eerily out from underneath his hood. The red-haired man shuddered.

"Infect. Them. All." The dark lord growled. Silently, the ghost nodded, turning and floating away. Chen's heart pounded. If he stepped out of line, would the same thing happen to him? Would it happen either way?! "We attack in two days." The Overlord hissed before turning around and walking away. As soon as his back was turned, Chen turned and began to run for the exit. He needed to get out of here. Overlord was crazy. "Oh. And you." He froze at the creature of darkness's voice, slowly turning back around. "I _despise_ free will." Out of nowhere, something hit him hard, knocking him to the ground. A cold, deathly feeling crept over him, and he stared down at his hands as they faded to grey. "What was that thing you used to say?" The Overlord's voice echoed, sounding far away but at the same time inside his head. "'Only one can remain'? Well, only one remains."

"Me."

* * *

 **At this rate I might actually finish before I go to Hawaii in** **February**

 **I think I accidently made Abigail kinda cranky and pessimistic... lol...**

 **And I know Indigo and Jessica are both really short BUT I CAN'T DECIDE WHICH ONE IS SHORTER**

 **^ that's been bothering me for a while and idk why**

 **~FFF**


	55. Attacked

**I WOULD have had this out 8 hours ago... but I had no willpower and decided to stay in bed and sleep instead. Oh well.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Nicktastic: hahahhaha**

 **Guest:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Zena: He's had it with these stupid ninjas always ruining his plans.**

 **ninjachief: I remember the first ninjago fanfiction I wrote. Never posted it. Or even got past chapter 1. But it was a start. And thank you! :D**

 **Ebony: Yep. He deserves it.**

 **LRFK:** **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **Windy: Glad you liked it! ^u^ Indigo is tiny. Since Morro is about the same height as Lloyd, he towers over her. xD Yep. He's getting pretty frustrated about losing so much. And yep! I'm not sure if I'll have access to the internet, though, so I probably won't be able to post anything for a couple weeks. :P The last time I was on a plane was when I was 6 months old, and I obviously don't remember it. xD I'm obsessed with flying (like really flying), though, so I'm looking forward to being on a plane.**

 **Samantha: Just "getting" intresting? xD And, the site guidelines say you're not supposed to have an entire story that's just written in script format (like Kai: my hair is hot. Jay: my hair is better trololol), so that story is breaking that rule. I'm not sure if I'm just going to try to write the whole thing in the format I write my normal stories in, or just put a short story at the beginning or end, or what.**

 **Ninjagirl8: :O Thank you so much! :D**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: We can only hope. :)**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: He's always been nuts.** **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ And I'm glad! :D**

* * *

Chapter 55

"How can we beat him now?" Lloyd looked around, meeting the others' eyes. "My golden power is useless now, it was our only weapon against him, and now he's wished himself immune. What can we do?"

"Well, if your golden power is useless, we should trade it back for our powers." Kai pointed out.

"I don't know…" Cole shook his head. "Can we risk another trip there and back? We all know what happened last time."

"Well, last time they had Morro and Tori." The fire ninja replied. "This time, Morro's on our side and Tori's in the dungeon."

"Still, we should wait for Lloyd to heal some. He still can't walk."

"True." Kai nodded. "Alright. But what do we do in the meantime?"

"If they attack, we will need to defend ourselves. But I doubt they will attack so soon. They will be recovering from us breaking Lloyd out." Sensei Wu replied. It had been two days since they had rescued Lloyd from the Overlord, and they were trying to figure out what to do next. Just then, their meeting was interrupted by Sara, who stomped into the room with an angry expression on her face.

"The TV is broke!" she exclaimed angrily.

"What do you mean 'broke'?" Lloyd asked.

"All the channels are showing the same video of a evil purple guy taking over the city!"

"Wait, _what?!_ " Kai jumped to his feet, running out of the room. A moment later, an alarmed shout reached them. "It's the Overlord! He's attacking!"

"Oh no." Lloyd got to his feet, hobbling into the living room on the crutches Nya had provided for him. Sure enough, on the screen was a live broadcast of the Overlord and an army of dark-matter-infected ghosts charging through the city, destroying anything in their path.

"We need to stop them!" Nya exclaimed.

"Right. Guys, let's get ready." Cole instructed, taking charge. "Lloyd, you're staying here. You're in no shape to fight."

"Okay." The green ninja didn't argue.

"Nya, we definitely need you. You're the only one who can take out the ghosts, other than Lloyd, and we've already established he can't fight. The other ninja and I will mostly just be protecting you. Morro, you stay here. They might attack here while we're out defending the city, and you need to protect Lloyd." Morro nodded. "Garmadon, we'll need you to help protect Nya."

"Right."

"I wanna stay." Gin spoke up.

"Okay. I don't know if your purple powers-"

" _Lilac._ "

"Does it matter? Anyway, I don't know if your powers work on ghosts, but, if they do, you can use them to help defend Lloyd if any show up."

"Okay."

"Come on, guys, let's go." Spinning into his gi, Cole turned and ran from the room, the other ninja and Lloyd's father following him out. Through the window, the blond boy saw them summon their dragons and fly off.

"That was fast." Sara remarked. "Are you gonna fix the TV?"

"Effectively, that's what they're doing right now." Lloyd shrugged, sitting down on the couch as he watched the screen. They would show up any minute now. But… wait. Where did the Overlord go? He was there just a moment ago. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Nadakhan teleported into view, making Lloyd jerk away in surprise. The green ninja didn't even recognize him at first, though, because his skin was a pale grey and his eyes glowed purple. He had been infected. Without saying a word, the infected djinn grabbed his wrist, yanking him to his feet. Another hand grabbed his other wrist as he struggled, which did him no good as he was teleported away. The room around him changed to a dark room – it looked like an abandoned warehouse. One hand let go of him, and he stumbled to the ground with a gasp of pain, his broken leg throbbing painfully.

"Lloyd!" He looked to his right in shock to see Gin, holding on tight to his wrist. She must have grabbed him and gotten teleported along with him.

"So…" he jumped at the Overlord's raspy voice, and he turned to see the dark lord step into the circle of light he sat in. "Not just you, but your little sister as well. How quaint." Instinctively, the blond boy charged a ball of energy, but Gin grabbed his glowing hand.

"No, it doesn't work, remember?" She whispered. "Just be careful. I'll fight him off."

"Gin-" he tried to warn her not to, but she shushed him, cutting him off as she stood up.

"If you want him, you'll have to go through me." She growled. The Overlord smirked.

"I can do that." With that, the creature of darkness began to approach. Stepping into a defensive position, Gin charged a ball of energy, then through it at the advancing enemy. It threw him across the room into a wall. His mouth dropping open, Lloyd stared at his sister's hands in amazement, for the energy around her hands wasn't purple. It was silver.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Where was the Overlord?

Kai looked back and forth as he hovered on his dragon, scanning the quickly-shrinking army of ghosts for their commander. Nothing. Had he chickened out and fled?

"Cole! Zane! Kai! Jay!" Morro's voice sounded abruptly in his earpiece, and he pressed a hand to his ear to block out other noise. "Lloyd's gone! Nadakhan appeared in the Monastery, grabbed him and Gin, then vanished!" The wind master's voice was panicked, and Kai felt the same.

"He can't be far. The Overlord is gone now, but we saw him at the beginning of the battle. He must be close. And if we find him, we find Llyd." Cole's firm voice crackled on their communicators. "Zane, scan for him."

"Affermative." About fifty feet away, the nindroid wheeled his dragon around and climbed another hundred feet in the air.

"Any luck?" Cole asked after a moment.

"Not yet." The ice ninja replied. "I'm going to scan the area. I'll be back in a minute." With that, Zane flew off.

"Nya, clear the rest of these ghosts." The earth ninja instructed. "Morro, meet us out here.

"Right."

"Guys, keep your eyes peeled." Cole addressed them all. "If you see _any_ sign of the Overlord, shout it out."

"Right."

"Okay."

"Got it." The other acknowledged his order, Jay and Nya finishing off the last of the ghosts while the rest flew up higher to get a better view of the city. Suddenly, a flash of gold caught Kai's eye, and he turned to see a huge ball of golden energy fly up in the air and explode.

"That's a signal if I ever saw one." He remarked.

"What? What is?" Garmadon's voice crackled in his ear.

"Everyone, follow me!" Turning his dragon, the fire ninja took off towards where he had seen the signal. He could only pray that Lloyd was still okay.

* * *

 **I'm sure he's fine.**

 **So... did I ever mention that I want Indigo to have her true potential at some point? I don't remember. But, usually true potentials happen at a crucial moment when it's necessary to save the day. Buuuuut, I'm having trouble trying to find a place to have it happen without her seeming way OP. Maybe I'll just wait until next book, she's more of a lesser character in this one.**

 **Also, if you read my Not Alone series you'll have seen that I'm rewriting the first 5 or 6 chapters of Return to the Cursed Realm to make more sense. The original chapters will still be available to read, though, at the end of the story. Anyway, I've already rewritten the first 3 chapters (and made them a fair amount longer), and have started typing them in, so keep an eye out for those in the near future. :v**

 **~FFF**


	56. A Final Stand

**So... apparently the last chapter had strong "Lloyd got captured** ** _again_ " ****vibes. That's not the case. He's fine. xD**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK:** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **ninjachief: Morro is my favorite villain. :) And yay! I find reading fanfics I've already written help when I have writer's block. Have you tried that?**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: Gin's got this. B)**

 **MikachuWriting: Well, she is a 4-year-old... xD**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: Like a protective adopted sister? :D**

 **Ebony: ...yeah. I think if Lloyd gets captured one more time Garmadon's gonna crack. And yep. Overlord has had it with him.**

 **Zena: Same.**

 **TheAmberShadow: Something like that. And what about Zane?**

 **Samantha: Yep. The Overlord is getting more and more frustrated with his frequent losses, which is making him reckless.**

 **Windy: The Overlord is done sitting around and waiting for the right moment. He's going all-in. And thank you!** ❤︎ **I've been working on planning her true potential. Not sure exactly where to use it, though. I have dreams about flying sometimes, and they're really fun. c: I want to jump out of a plane when I'm older. :v**

 **Ninjagirl: She's got this.**

 **Flufflepuff: No kidding. :v**

* * *

Chapter 56

"Silver?" Garmadon exclaimed in shock.

"Yep." Gin grinned, lifting her glowing hand higher into the air. "It changed color when I touched Lloyd's power, I think. And it affects the Overlord! I kicked his butt!" She slammed her fist into her palm to illustrate. "He made himself immune to Lloyd's powers, but not mine!"

"Amazing." Sensei Wu said, stroking his beard in wonder. "It's almost if you and Lloyd are actually related."

"Maybe we are." She shrugged. "Anyway, the Overlord got away. Nadakhan came and teleported him off. Then I brought Lloyd up to the roof so he could signal you guys." After picking Lloyd up and Gin up, the ninja and co. had flown back to the Monastery, where they were currently discussing this new development as Sara happily watched cartoons nearby.

"But this is great!" Kai exclaimed. "He made himself immune to golden power, but, like you said, not silver power! And that's one more wish he's wasted!"

"One more? We don't know if that's the first one he's used or what." Lloyd pointed out.

"But, you and Morro told me that, when you were flying back to Ninjago on his dragon, his powers vanished. That could've been a wish."

"Good point." Morro nodded. "So, we have a way to beat him. Can we kill him? Do we even want to?"

"Killing him is pointlesss." Ni hissed. "He will jussst come back."

"Then we need to trap him somehow."

"Here." Behind Zane, P.I.X.A.L. stepped forward, holding up a metal box with a button on the top. "This is a prototype of an artificial Realm, not unlike the one Yang's haunted temple resides in during the night, created by Cyrus Borg. As of now, it is a void, an endless expanse. It would be an ideal place to trap the Overlord."

"There's a Realm in that little box?" Jay frowned.

"…no. The actual Realm is controlled at Borg tower; this only activates a portal." The robot girl clarified.

"Good." Cole nodded. "But he won't go in easily. We'll need to knock him in, or trick him, or-" The earth ninja was cut off by an indignant shriek from Sara.

"The TV's broken again!" she yelled angrily. Standing up, Kai ran over to check on her. A moment later,

"Uh… guys? We're surrounded."

ReturnOfTheOverlord

A rush of adrenaline went through Lloyd at Kai's words and he grabbed his crutches, stumbling to his feet and hobbling over to the window. Kai was right. Ranks upon ranks of ghosts waited outside, more than he could ever count. Way more than had attacked the city. How many were there?!

"Well." Jay said flatly. "I think we're gonna need some backup."

"I can call the other Shadelingsss." Ni suggested.

"But they can't touch ghosts." Cole said with a frown. In response, the shadeling queen pinched him. "Ow!" he yelped, jumping away. "What was that for?"

"Shadelingsss can touch ghossstsss." She said with a grin. "Don't asssk why, but they can."

"Alright then. Go get them." The ghost ninja sighed, rubbing his arm where she had pinched him. Ni nodded, then flew upstairs. A moment later, Lloyd saw her flying from an upstairs window towards the forest.

"What are we gonna do?" he asked, turning back to the others. "Even with Nya's, Gin's, and my powers able to destroy ghosts, there are still way too many of them. They might attack before the Shadelings get here."

"If we can help it, we'll wait until the Shadelings get here. But if we can't, we can still hold them off." His father said. "We'll have to stay together, with me in the front drawing their attention. If they get too close to you, Morro can blow them away. We can beat them. They are many, but if we kill them fast enough they won't be able to do a thing."

"Alright." Lloyd paused. "Wait, you're letting me fight?"

"We don't have much choice, do we? It's you he wants. If you stay in here, he'll storm his way in and take you while you're unprotected. Since the best fighters will be outside fighting him off, you'll have to come with us."

"True. And he'd hurt the others, like Ness and Sara and Mom, trying to get to me." The blond boy shuddered. "If I'm with you, that's where the pressure will be. He'll be throwing everything he's got at us."

"Right." His father nodded. "Those who can fight, get ready. We need to be ready if he attacks."

"They're all infected…" Bansha's quiet voice caught Lloyd's attention as Dad continued giving out instructions, and he looked over to see her staring out the window with Morro standing next to her.

"If you had stayed, that would've happened to you." The wind master replied just as quietly. Bansha chuckled softly.

"I guess you were right."

"Did the ninja treat you alright?"

"They locked me up at first. Though, I can't blame them. For all they knew, I was a spy like that girl, Lea."

"They didn't hurt you, though?"

"No. Some of them wanted to, but Lloyd gave me the benefit of the doubt." A pause. "I like him."

"So do I." Morro chuckled. "I'm going to go get ready."

"Alright." Bansha stepped away from the window as Morro walked away, and Lloyd fell into step beside him.

"What's going on between you and Bansha?"

"What do you mean?" the wind master asked innocently.

"I mean, what's with you two? You used to hate her. What happened?"

"Remember when Jay killed me and I lost my memory?"

"Yeah."

"She found me in Prison Mountain, with a broken leg and no memory. She felt sorry for me and brought me back to her base, and let me stay there while I healed, protecting me from the other ghosts. She told me you were evil, yes, but only because she didn't want me to leave. When I did regain my memory, she still liked me, and I her. When the Overlord captured me a month or so ago, she tried to help me escape. We failed, and I sent her here. To summarize, she helped me when she could have locked me up or abandoned me. That's why I like her." Lloyd was silent for a moment before saying,

"Do you think Indigo's gonna get jealous?"

"I don't like Bansha in _that_ way."

"Suuuure you don't."

"I heard that Jessica is going to leave you for Kai."

"Hey, don't even joke about that!"

"How about this: You don't tease me about my romantic life, I don't tease you about yours."

"Deal."

"Good." With that, Morro turned and headed upstairs to get ready for battle.

* * *

 **ALMOST TIME FOR THE FINAL BATTLE™**

 **Wanna hear something funny? On tumblr, I have 3 RP blogs, one for Indigo, one for Morro, and one for Bansha. A couple days ago, the Bansha blog got a message saying that they shipped her with Indigo. Neither one was impressed. A little while later, the Indigo blog got a message saying that THEY shipped her with MORRO. She fiercely denied any attraction to him. Today, the love triangle was completed when the Bansha blog got a message saying they shipped her with Morro. It's hilarious.**

 **Also I have school again so I may not update tomorrow**

 **~FFF**


	57. Retribution

**It's late but it's worth it :v**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK: Pretty much, yep.**

 **Mikachu: A lot of people ship Bansha and Morro.**

 **Zena: :D  
**

 **ninjachief: Hmm... about Morro, I'm not sure. How closely are you following canon? And thank you so much! :D**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: It was actually a line from a fan-made League of Legends song... but that works. xD**

 **Samantha: Yeah... it ended up taking even later than I thought because I was house-sitting for my neighbors for the last couple days, and since I was staying overnight, and I usually write at night, it was hard because I was in an unfamiliar place and it was hard to concentrate.**

 **TheAmberShadow: Oh yeah. Right. And I forgot about Bansha for a while too. xD Don't know. Still working it out.**

 **Windy: This chapter is Intense™ Gin was originally supposed to be Lloyd's blood sister, but I didn't want to make any "sibling of the ninja" OCs so I made her be adopted instead. :v**

 **382ANON283: Cole? Nope. Unless you count Cole x Cake.**

 **Flufflepuff: DEATH TO OVERLORD**

 **GinNozomiGarmadon: What do you mean about her memory? She was really young when she came to the Cursed Realm, I don't think she would ever remember something from that age.**

* * *

Chapter 57

Lloyd shifted nervously on his crutches, standing by the front door as he waited for the others to get ready. Though his powers could kill ghosts, he had soon realized that he would need his hands free to do so, which were occupied just keeping him upright. So he was really just bait now. Hopefully, their plan would work, and he wouldn't get captured for the millionth time.

"Lloyd?" the blond boy turned at the sound of his name to see his father walking towards him with a weird gadget in his hand. "Here."

"What's that?"

"It's like… futuristic handcuffs."

"You're going to handcuff me?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Now exactly." Reaching over, Dad snapped a cuff onto the green ninja's right wrist, and the other onto his left wrist. He then flipped a switch on his metal cuff, and a beam of light connected the two wristbands. "So I don't lose you."

"Oh." Lloyd tugged on the 'chain', and was immediately met with resistance. It went through his crutch, though, so he wouldn't trip over himself. "That works. You won't let me get hurt, will you?" the blond boy asked, looking up and meeting his father's eyes.

"Of course I won't." the grey-haired man smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The Overlord won't be able to touch you."

"Thanks, Dad." Lloyd smiled.

"Ninja!" the blond boy looked up at the sound of the Overlord's voice outside. "I've waited long enough! Are you coming out to face me? Or am I coming in?"

"Is he yelling through a megaphone?" Jay snickered.

"Or, a third option:" The Overlord continued. "You throw the green ninja out, and I'll let you live." Lloyd's heart skipped a beat. He knew the others would never give him up, but the prospect still scared him. "I know you can hear me! Do you give him up?" Kai stepped over to a window, sliding it open.

"How about no!" the fire ninja yelled. "We're not giving up Lloyd. We're gonna take you on, and we're gonna win!"

"Then come out and face me."

"Uh, one minute. Gotta tie my shoes." With that, Kai quickly stepped out of sight.

"'Tie my shoes'? Really?" Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just stalling." The brunette shrugged. "Is everyone ready?" The others nodded, murmuring their agreement. "Zane, Jay, remember, if they attack the Monastery, let us know immediately so we can help defend."

"Right." Zane nodded.

"Alright. Let's go." Kai glanced at Lloyd, then headed for the front door.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

The Overlord watched as the ninja exited their base, noting their positions in the group. The green ninja was in the middle, obviously, though it wouldn't be hard to knock him out of the center. He appeared to be cuffed to his father, though. No matter. A well-aimed arrow would take the cuffs out. He couldn't lose. Once the heroes were lured into position, it would be easy to have the rest of the army attack their home from behind, making them scrambling to defend it. In the chaos, their green ninja would be vulnerable. Their "king" would be captured.

Captured, or killed.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd stared at the imposing ghost army in front of them, nervously stepping closer to his father. The Overlord had calculated this whole thing; Lloyd could see it in the satisfied smirk he wore. He was ready. But were they?

"Do we make the first move, or will they?" Kai whispered. No one answered. They didn't have a chance, as, in silent unison, the ghost army charged forward.

"Nya, now!" his father yelled, and the water ninja stepped in front of the others, a wave rising out of nowhere at her command and sweeping over the ghosts, obliterating them all in an instant. The next group didn't hesitate, running blindly towards them. Nya took them out the same way. They kept coming, though, and they were starting to spread out so Nya couldn't kill them all at once. They were closing in, but Morro sent them flying. They only came back. Gin was taking them out as well, but not as quickly. It was so overwhelming. Lloyd wished he could help, but there was nothing he could do. He was only good as bait.

"They're attacking from behind!" Jay's frantic voice sounded through his communicator, making him jump in surprise. "Zane and I can't stop them! HELP!"

"Fall back! We need to help!" Kai yelled, waving them back. Someone pulled Lloyd back, and he stumbled, forcing whoever had grabbed him to catch him. A high-pitched shriek sounded in the background, but he didn't pay any attention. They needed to get back inside before those who couldn't protect themselves got hurt. They were in a really bad position, forced to fall back as the enemy breached their base. Suddenly, something struck the cuff on his wrist, shattering it and knocking him off balance. What the-?! An arrow? He stumbled on something, and this time there was no one to catch him. He fell onto his side.

"Lloyd!" he heard his father call his name, and he frantically looked up, trying to find him. All he saw was the ghosts, flooding around him, separating him from the others. Another arrow shrieking towards him. He was going to die. Suddenly, the shriek stopped. Shocked, Lloyd looked up to see a familiar figure standing above him.

"Whisp!"

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Whisp!" Morro had watched, frozen, as Lloyd was isolated from the group and then surrounded by the enemy. He couldn't save him. At the last moment, though, Whisp had appeared, catching the arrow meant for Lloyd's heart between her fingers. The ghosts converging on Lloyd had frozen as well, staring at the ghost woman in shock. Did they have some respect for her, even corrupted as they were? Did she control them? Dropping the arrow, Whisp bent down and picked up Lloyd, turning and carrying him past the motionless army.

"What did you do to them?" Kai asked, awed.

"First things first, who are you?" Nya frowned.

"No time for that now. I'm here to help." The armored woman said curtly, lowering Lloyd to the ground next to his father. "And, as for the army, I can control ghosts for about thirty seconds. So, about eight seconds more."

"We need to clear the Monastery." Turning around, Garmadon scooped up Lloyd before heading back towards the Monastery. "We can't lose this! If we lose this battle, we lose Ninjago!"

"Right. Come on, guys!" Kai ran back along the path, and Morro followed suit. Garmadon was right. Losing was not an option.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Was there no end to these ghosts?! Lloyd held an orb of Golden power in front of him with both hands, throwing it at any ghost that came near as Morro held him upright with one hand. Mom and the others had retreated to the basement, where they would be safe, as the ninja and co tried to push the ghosts out of the Monastery. But they just kept coming! Just as the thought ran through his head, the ghosts stopped. He and Morro exchanged glances as the sounds of fighting quieted, then stopped.

"What's going on?" Lloyd voiced his thoughts.

"I don't know." The wind master shook his head. "Come on." The blond boy wrapped an arm around Morro's shoulders, using him to steady himself as they moved towards the window. As soon as they saw the cause of the sudden silence, they both froze in shock. Outside was an army of shadelings, a black mass of creatures. They outnumbered what was left of the ghost army across from them, who were frozen as well. Ni stood in front of the army, her winds outstretched to make her appear bigger and more menacing. After a few tense moments of silence, the queen let out a dragon's roar, and the hundreds of her subjects echoed it as they charged forward. As he watched, a grin spread across Lloyd's face. Now that Ni was back, those ghosts didn't stand a chance.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

The Overlord backed away as the beasts swarmed on his army, obliterating it in seconds. No. _No._ This wasn't happening. He couldn't lose! Turning, the creature of darkness began to run. If he could escape, he could try again. It might take years, but he could try again.

"Going somewhere?" Overlord skidded to a stop as a girl appeared in front of him.

"Get out of my way!" he snapped, trying to push past her.

"I don't think so." More of those infernal black creatures crawled up behind her, standing up straight when they reached her. There was no way he could get past them. He spun around, but the beasts were behind him too. And to the left. And to the right. He was surrounded.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

Lloyd watched as the Overlord's head whipped back and forth, staring at the shadelings as they closed in on him. He was trapped. For the first time in their lives, they had the embodiment of evil at their mercy. Unlike when it had been the other way around, though, Lloyd didn't want to torture him. He just wanted to get rid of him.

"P.I.X.A.L., the portal." Zane called. The robot girl nodded, producing the box from a fold of her dress. "Lloyd, care to do the honors?" the nindroid asked, taking it and offering it to the green ninja, who nodded and took it with his free hand.

"What is that?!" the Overlord demanded. "What are you doing?!" Aiming carefully, Lloyd pressed the button, and a portal appeared behind the dark lord.

"Go ahead, Gin!" he called as the Overlord spun around to look at it.

"My pleasure." His sister grinned as she charged a ball of silver power, which she then proceeded to throw in the Overlord's direction. It hit him square in the back, knocking him into the portal, which closed immediately. There was a moment of silence, then Jay let out a whoop.

"WE BEAT HIM! WE DID IT!" He yelled, hopping up and down. The others joined in the cheering, but Lloyd just sank to the ground. His father, who had been supporting him, knelt beside him as he asked,

"Are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay." Grinning, the blond boy shook his head. "It's over. It's finally over."

"Yes it is." Sitting down next to him, Dad pulled him into a hug. "It's done. We beat him. We won."

* * *

 **For clarification, P.I.X.A.L. did instruct them on how to use the portal thing beforehand.**

 **There's gonna be, like... _maybe_ 2 or 3 more chapters? Don't know. And then you all can go and request some oneshots or something.**

 **Hope you liked this!**

 **~FFF**


	58. Yandere

**This is like... half a chapter, because I wanted the rest of it in one part. :v But anyway, have a Tori update.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony: He just couldn't help himself. And now he's stuck forever. :)**

 **Flufflepuff: :D**

 **Zena: About time amiright? And I wrote that for you. -3-**

 **TheAmberShadow: Hey, it worked. *shrug* Glad you liked it! :D**

 **RainbowLizz: Yep, there certainly is going to be a sequel. :v**

 **Ninjagirl: It's fine. I'm not very good about reviewing either. And Lloyd does get hurt a lot. xD**

 **SMWR: Yep!**

 **Windy: Your review made me blush. ^u^ Thank you!  
**

 **Tear: Sure! I love writing Lloyd and Garmadon fluff. c: Zena 1421 has written a lot of that, if you haven't already read her stuff.**

 **Samantha: Yeah, kinda. I wish I could've done more with Gin, but that didn't really work out. :P**

 **Ninjachief: Yep. Like I said to Samantha, I wish I could've done more with Gin, but I couldn't make it happen. Oh well. Yes, I can definitely do that. c:**

* * *

Chapter 58

"Yep, we've cleared up the whole problem with the ghosts." Kai nodded, even though the official he was talking to on the phone couldn't see it. "Yeah, sorry about the city. One of us is pretty much immobile right now, but the rest of us can come and help rebuild at some point. Right. Okay. See ya." The fire ninja hung up, then turned to the blond girl in the cell across from him. "Now all we have to do is figure out what to do with you."

"About time something happened down here…" Tori muttered in reply. It had been half a day since the Overlord had been defeated, and Kai, Lloyd, and Gin were currently trying to find something to do with Tori.

"How about this:" The master of silver suggested. "You shape up and behave yourself, and we let you go. Sound cool?"

"Behave? For you guys?" The blond girl snorted. "Suuuure, because I LOOOOOOOOOVEEE you guys." She paused, then continued. "By "love" I mean levels of violence, and it means I hate you all. Except Lloyyyyydyyyy…" She smiled at Lloyd dreamily, and he took a step back.

"I have a girlfriend."

"Not anymore, you don't!" Tori whipped a gun out of her pocket, aimed it at Gin, and pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang out through the room, and Lloyd scrambled backwards in shock. "Phooey." The blond girl muttered as the dust cleared.

"What the heck was that?!" Gin demanded, gesturing to the hole in the wall a foot away from her.

"That's not even my _girlfriend_ , that's my _sister!_ " Lloyd paused. "Wait, you've had a gun this whole time?"

"Yeah." Tori shrugged.

"Why didn't you use it before now?"

"'Cause I'm a lousy shot."

"I can believe that." Gin bent down, picking up a crumpled bullet up off the floor a foot away. "Is that thing still loaded?"

"You bet it is!" The shadow mistress took aim again, and Lloyd quickly stepped in front of his sister.

"Alright, hand it over." He ordered, holding out his hand.

"No!" Tori hid it behind her back, sticking out her lower lip in a pout. The blond boy rolled his eyes, then pulled the ring of keys out of his pocket, unlocking the cell door.

"Hand it over." He repeated, holding out his hand again. Slowly, the blond girl reached it out towards him, setting the gun in his hand. Then, without warning, she bolted, slipping past him and running up the stairs. As he whirled around to go after her, she turned into a shadow, vanishing instantly into the darkness.

"…well." Kai said after a moment. "I guess we should go tell the others." The Garmadon siblings nodded, and the three headed back upstairs to tell the rest what had happened to their prisoner.

* * *

 **Like I said, short. The next chapter will probably be the last.**

 **Okay, so, just so everyone knows, yes, there is going to be a third book. But I'm not going to start it until like mid-March. The reason being that, as I think I mentioned, I'm going to Hawaii! I leave February 28th, I think, and get back two weeks later. However, I do have a short-ish story (like Forgotten) that I'm gonna write in between. And lots of one-shots.**

 **So, did I leave any loose ends? Is there something I left unexplained? Please tell me if I did.**

 **~FFF**


	59. Closure

**Well**

 **this is the last chapter**

 **note that any guest reviews I get won't be able to be answered here, so I'll probably end up replying in a one-shot.**

 **Review replies:**

 **LRFK: Even though she's nuts about Lloyd? xD**

 **SWMR: No one likes Tori... lol. I mean, she's pretty funny to read about, but she's not like... a nice person. xD**

 **Nicktastic Productions: Well it does seem like something she would do. :v I only saw an Ahri support once. She beat me up. That was a sad day. :(**

 **Ebony: Yep. Won't be hard, seeing as she can basically turn invisible. Lloyd might have to start sleeping with all the lights on...**

 **TheAmberShadow: Wow. I'm not the only one with goldfish memory? Cool!**

 **Windy: Good thing she's a lousy shot! :D And, unfortunately, I couldn't get that in. :( Oh well. Maybe I can write a oneshot for them.**

 **Samantha: Mmmm... I don't think that'll end up happening, because I already have a plot for the next book. This chapter will give you a hint for it, though. ;)**

 **Yandere: All will be explained...**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: I'm in quite a few other fandoms, including League of Legends, Undertale, Lord of the Rings, and a bunch more I forget. I have a list of the fandoms I'm in at the top of my profile if you wanna look. :v And no, I haven't seen it. I want to, though. :P**

 **Flufflepuff: Nah, there's nothing to explain. He's really just floating around in the void, hopefully never to return.**

 **DraconisWinters: Aw, I'm sorry you don't feel good. :( That's actually a reference to Undertale which my siblings made me put in here. And whoops! I do that a lot, accidently put in the wrong name. ^ ^'**

 **Erio99: I'm glad you like it! :D As for the OCs, I'm not sure. At the end of the first book I put together profiles for the OCs, and I might do that here, but that's not much use for during the book... do you have any suggestions? And sure, I can check it out! I'm not the best at giving advice though... ^ ^' But thank you for the compliment!**

* * *

Chapter 59

After the final battle, everything calmed down. Soul Archer and his ghosts never came back after being sent to the Cursed Realm by the Shadelings, and since Nadakhan had turned back to normal when the Overlord had been banished, they could only assume the ghosts were back to normal as well. The djinn and his father had appeared at the Monastery the day after the battle, thanking them for their assistance before going back to their own realm with a pot of traveler's tea. As for Chen, Lea, and Tori… they disappeared. The ninja and co could only hope they didn't come back. Over the next few days, the uninjured residents of the Monastery helped to fix the damage done to the city by the Overlord. Once that was done, life returned to normal in the Monastery. Alice left, saying something about needing to find her brother, while Abby went back to her home in the city. Borg's men, Zachary and Appo, left too, as well as Zaya and Tylor. Kloey stayed, promising not to get in the way. With the Overlord and his allies gone, the ninja were confident that they would get _at least_ a short break from having to fight. And they were right. For the moment, they had defeated every villain in Ninjago.

Every villain in _their_ Ninjago, at least.

ReturnOfTheOverlord

"Ah! Not so tight!" Lloyd yelped, flinching away as his fiancé attempted to bandage his leg.

"Sorry…" Andreea murmured, unwinding the bandage before wrapping it around him again.

"It still hurts…" the blond boy whined, pulling his leg away again.

"I know, but this is a pretty deep cut." The diamond master gestured to his leg. "If it gets infected, we'll have to cut this leg off too." Lloyd leaned forward, looking at his prosthetic leg before sighing and sitting back again.

"You're right. Any more of this, and I'll be running out of limbs." He chuckled weakly. "Are the others okay?"

"A little scratched up, but otherwise fine." Andreea closed her eyes, resting her hand on his bandaged leg and summoning her healing powers. She heard Lloyd sigh in relief as she opened her eyes.

"That's better." She smiled up at him, then continued wrapping his leg. They were both silent for a few minutes, then Lloyd spoke again. "Andreea… what are we going to do? We can't beat him. He controls everything. There just aren't enough of us to do anything." He sighed. "If only we hadn't lost Nya…" The brunette was silent for a while, cutting the bandage and securing it before replying.

"I might know some people who can help with that."

"Really?" The blond boy asked, surprised. Andreea nodded.

"Let's just say… I know a few guys."

To be continued…

THE END

* * *

 **it**

 **is over**

 **...**

 **about time**

 **Anyway! Like I said, the next book will probably start about mid-march. I'll be written a shorter story (like Forgotten) in between at some point, and I'll also be writing an Undertale/Ninajgo crossover with Oceangirl246, probably starting around the new year. I'll also be writing lots of oneshots, and, if I don't do yours, please remind me, because I most likely forgot. ^ ^'**

 **(I think I've already said all that but idk so I'll say it again)**

 **Until then, see you around!  
**

 **~FFF**


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